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A Texas Tech cheerleader, whose Facebook photos showing her posing with a toothy smile next to lions, zebras, leopards and rhinos she has killed, is shrugging off a firestorm of criticism, saying she will "continue to hunt and spread the knowledge of hunting and wildlife conservation."
Nineteen-year-old Kendall Jones, who went on her first big game hunt to Africa when she was 9, calls the photos a testament to her hunting skills and dedication to game preservation.
"I knew when I posted these pictures that there would be people for and against my Facebook page," Jones tells writer Matt Smith, of her hometown newspaper, the Cleburne Times-Review,in a recent e-mail from Africa. "I really am shocked at how rude many people are by name-calling and swearing. I have actually had several death threats, which are going to be investigated. Online bullying and making direct threats is a crime."
The uproar prompted a South African to post a petition on change.org calling for Jones to be banned from African states.
"She has publicly stated that she hopes to have a television hunting show and she is using endangered and helpless African animals as a stepping to further her popularity on social media platforms," says the petition, which has drawn more than 30,000 signatures.
The Dallas News reports that Jones claims to have signed a development deal in January with the Sportsman Channel, but Tom Caraccioli, a spokesman for the channel, says while it "enthusiastically supports ethical, fair-chase hunting and all of its participants – like Kendall Jones – we are not prepared to discuss any potential projects involving her."
As the firestorm increases, Jones is sounding an alarm, saying that "lots of folks" are trying to get her Facebook page shut down and charges that Facebook "is removing content that promotes the safe and ethical conservation and research of Rhinos."
In response, Jones says she is launching a Support Kendall page on Facebook "where supporters can help us stand tall."
Her original Facebook page drew the ire of critics upset by the photos and her cheerful recitation of her big game hunting adventures, including her first big kills in 2009: "This time I got my leopard, and also took down a hippo to get 6 of the Dangerous 7 at the age of 14! I was lucky enough to have all of my hunting adventures professionally videoed and put onto DVD."
In another entry, a smiling Jones poses next to a slain springbok above the caption: "Another harvest for today. ... White springbok, it's 1 of the 4 color shades of this animal! And let me tell you it's one of my favorite kinds of meat so far!"
Go Red Raiders!
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