Students have mixed reaction to ‘Idaho Huntress’
Big game hunter Sabrina Corgatelli has created a social media tornado with her recent hunting pictures. The Idaho State University employee first caught national attention with her picture with a giraffe she hunted.
When ISU students Kelsy Roberts and Katherine Bobo first heard about Corgatelli’s recent ‘trophies,’ they didn’t have the nicest things to say. While looking at the pictures on Corgatelli’s public Facebook page, Roberts asked, “How is that okay?”
On her page, Corgatelli has been posting the latest from her legal South African hunt. Some animals pictured include a wildebeest, an impala and a giraffe.
Roberts thinks Corgatelli crossed a line.
“I respect those that do hunt, it’s not like they’re doing something wrong. They do it for their own reasons,” she said. “When it comes down to an endangered species or animals not within your native land, it goes on the wrong side for me.”
She’s not the only one who thinks so. Each pictures carries thousands of comments of backlash. One reads, “Wow, you killed a giraffe, an animal that wouldn’t hurt a fly.. No words for how disgusting you are.”
Not all of them have been negative, though, one person shared their collection of big game hunting with Corgatelli.
ISU student Justin Ackerman has grown up with hunting in his family. He doesn’t see anything wrong with Corgatelli’s hunt.
“As long as she got the proper paperwork, there’s nothing illegal going on as far as tags and things go,” he said. “As long as there’s no endangered species involved and things like that.”
Some are worried about the image of Idaho hunters this could create.
“I don’t want us to be associated with a big game hunter from Idaho,” said Bobo. “When people hear that we’re from Idaho, I want to be associated as the good, well-rounded Idahoan.”
United Airlines and Air Canada have recently announced bans on carrying big game trophies on their flights.
ISU has released the following statement about the messages they’ve received about Corgatelli:
“Idaho State University appreciates the impassioned concerns expressed over the past few days related to Sabrina Corgatelli matter. As an institution for higher learning, ISU supports the open discussion and respectful discourse of ideas and issues of global importance. As a public institution we encourage individuals to share their opinions either on our Facebook forum or by emailing forum@isu.edu. We ask that all responses be presented in a respectful and diplomatic matter. Responses that are threatening in nature and/or include vulgar language will be deleted.”
You can find ISU’s Facebook forum here.
