Alberta couple branded 'sick' after kissing over dead body of lion

A Canadian couple has been branded “sick” after kissing over the carcass of a lion they shot in South Africa.

Darren and Carolyn Carter – from Edmonton, Alberta – were targeted by a British newspaper after grisly photographs were posted to the Facebook page of hunting company Legelela Safaris.

The Daily Mirror confronted the couple over the pictures, but were told the issue was “too political” for them to comment.

Since the Mirror’s story was published, the photographs have spread rapidly across the British media and now the world.

END THIS HORROR: #DarrenCarter and #CarolynCarter, from #Edmonton, #Alberta, #Canada, celebrate their kill on a hunting trip with Legelela safaris in South Africa. 🤮 pic.twitter.com/LXCFx7KKpq

— isy ochoa (@isyochoa) July 15, 2019

The couple has been widely condemned for shooting the lion, which is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

On the hunting company’s website, prices for killing lions and leopards – another species classified as vulnerable – are available only on request.

But for killing giraffes, the company charges $3,900.

To kill a hyena costs $4,600, an ostrich $650, a wild cat $460 and a baboon $260.

Crocodiles, elephants, rhinos and hippos are all listed as “price on request”.