The internet has flocked to condemn a group of British trophy hunters for sharing pictures of themselves with slaughtered African plains zebras.
The distressing images show hunters beaming alongside the vulnerable animals, which were murdered for 'sport' on a safari holiday.
One hunter - a UK safari agent and an established taxidermist - took to Facebook to share a now hidden picture of his horrific hunt 'souvenir', while a visiting tourist shared his own image with the killed animal, gushing that he'd "never had so much fun with [his] pants on!"
Heartbreakingly, it comes as zebras were only recently classified as vulnerable on the International Union of the Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species.
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Over the last 14 years, the wild zebra population has dropped by almost a quarter. However, they remain one of the most popular 'trophies' with UK hunters.
As the images went viral on social media, outrage erupted.
"What reason can there be for killing harmless, defenceless animals? This shameful barbaric practice should be subjected to the same consequences as murdering humans," one person wrote, while another agreed, branding the perpetrators "sick in the head".
Several others flocked to suggest anybody caught trophy hunting should have their passport taken off them to stop them repeating the offence.
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Despite fury, currently, it is not illegal to hunt zebras on the plains of South Africa - although the practice is still hugely controversial.
Those who take part in trophy hunting often claim that it helps to encourage conservation - a claim which is disputed by many experts.
Minister for animal welfare, Zac Goldsmith, has revealed recently that he wants to urgently ban importing trophy hunting souvenirs back to the UK, telling Sunday People the images "turn [his] stomach".
Shockingly, trophy hunting still seems to attract some wealthy British tourists today, with some trips offering a list of over 40 species to kill.
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Eduardo Goncalves of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting group said: "It is unbelievable there are hardly any legal restrictions on shooting zebras for fun.
"So many of Africa's greatest wild animals are already suffering thanks to the vile trophy hunting industry. Now zebras have joined the list. In April last year zebras were officially listed as vulnerable.
"The Grévy's zebra species are listed as endangered. What is it going to take to stop these killers from wiping out our wildlife completely?"
Featured Image Credit: Facebook