Originally published 2021-02-23.
In February 2021, photos of a South African hunter standing over a giraffe she had shot, and then holding up its heart, spread across social media and drew anger around the world. The hunter was Merelize van der Merwe, then 32, and the hunt had been a Valentine's Day gift from her husband, Gerhardt. She answered critics by arguing that trophy hunting helps protect wildlife.
This article sets out what happened, what she claimed, and what the evidence on giraffe numbers and trophy hunting actually says, so you can judge the debate on more than a single photograph.
What happened in the giraffe trophy case
According to reports at the time, the hunt took place on a private reserve in South Africa, near Sun City, north-west of Johannesburg. The package reportedly cost about £1,500, roughly $2,000. The animal was described as an old bull of about 17 years.
Van der Merwe posted pictures on Facebook: one with her arms spread wide behind the body of the giraffe, another holding the animal's heart. In her caption she framed the trip as a long-held dream and a romantic present, writing that she had waited years for her "own perfect bull." She also said she loved the animal's skin and admired it as an iconic African species.
The images were picked up by anti-hunting accounts and then by British and international newspapers. Within days, her name was trending and she was receiving a flood of abuse online.
When will this depravity end?!.https://t.co/EILN5xSA7K
— Keep The Ban (@Keeptheban_) February 21, 2021
Why the photos caused such outrage
Hunting photos are common, so why did this one hit so hard? Several things came together. Giraffes are gentle, instantly recognisable animals that many people associate with childhood and zoos rather than with rifles. The heart photo struck many viewers as a deliberate display of gore rather than a record of a hunt. And the Valentine's framing turned a killing into a love token, which many found jarring.
Campaign groups such as Keep the Ban, which opposes trophy imports into the UK, shared the images to argue for stricter laws. Other users went further and attacked her personally, which is a pattern that repeats with almost every viral hunting photo. The debate quickly became more about her character than about giraffes.
"She was like a little girl" & couldn't wait to kill this giraffe. The heart was her "valentines present". Merelize van der Merwe née Nell looks for notoriety. An inferiority complex &/or narcissist? 🤦🏻♀️
— Xpose Trophy Hunting (@XposeTrophyHunt) February 15, 2021
🙏🏼RT#BanTrophyHunting@zbleumoon @AgainstHunting @JamesMelville @Nenagh9 pic.twitter.com/WsJrj9UuVN
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The hunter's defence and how it holds up
Speaking to the UK press, Van der Merwe made a series of arguments that hunters commonly use:
- Hunting gives animals value. She argued that if hunting were banned, landowners would have no reason to keep wild animals and they would disappear.
- Old bulls are surplus. She said removing an older male lets a younger bull take over and bring fresh genetics to the herd.
- Local benefit. She reportedly said the meat went to nearby communities and that hunting creates jobs.
- Personal use. She said she planned to make a rug from the skin.
Some of these points have a real basis. In South Africa, a large share of wildlife lives on private game ranches, and income from hunting and tourism is part of why ranchers keep wild species rather than cattle. Removing older, non-breeding males is a recognised management practice on some reserves.
But a general argument is not proof for a specific hunt. Whether this particular killing helped giraffes would depend on the reserve's population, how many animals are taken, where the fee went, and whether the money reached conservation work or local people. None of that was published. A hunter's own account explains her reasons; it is not independent evidence of benefit.
What critics and conservation groups say
The UK charity Born Free responded that trophy hunting is a colonial-era practice and that targeting the most impressive animals, such as those with the darkest coats or largest tusks, can disrupt animal societies. The point about selective pressure is backed by research on other species, where heavy trophy hunting has been linked to smaller horns and tusks over generations.
Critics also question how much hunting money really reaches communities. Studies of trophy hunting across Africa have produced mixed results: some areas show measurable benefits, while in others most revenue stays with operators and governments. Poor regulation, inaccurate quotas and corruption weaken the conservation case where they occur.
There is also a wider point. Even where hunting funds land protection, many people object on ethical grounds to killing animals for display. That is a values question, and data alone will not settle it.
How many giraffes are left?
Here the original viral reports got the general direction right but blurred the numbers. Estimates compiled by researchers put the wild giraffe population at about 155,000 in 1985 and roughly 97,500 by 2016, a fall of close to 40% over about three decades. The figure of around 68,000 that circulated in 2021 refers to the estimated number of mature adults rather than all giraffes.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) moved the giraffe to "Vulnerable" in 2016. Some populations are in far worse shape: the Nubian giraffe is listed as critically endangered, the Masai and reticulated giraffes as endangered, and the West African giraffe numbers only a few hundred animals. Giraffes were also added to CITES Appendix II in 2019, which means international trade in their parts must be documented and shown not to harm their survival.
The main threats, according to conservation scientists, are habitat loss, poaching for bushmeat, civil conflict and drought. Legal trophy hunting accounts for a much smaller share of deaths, and in southern Africa, where most legal giraffe hunting happens, numbers have generally been stable or rising. The steepest declines have been in East, Central and West Africa.
A couple of quick facts people often search for: a giraffe's heart weighs around 11 kg (25 lb) and is roughly 60 cm long, with thick walls needed to push blood up the long neck. Wild giraffes can live for decades, with some individuals recorded at up to 38 years.
Common myths in the trophy hunting debate
- "Trophy hunters are the main reason giraffes are declining." The evidence points mainly to habitat loss and poaching. Hunting can still matter for small, isolated populations.
- "Trophy hunting always funds conservation." It can, but only where revenues are transparent and well managed. That cannot be assumed.
- "Banning hunting automatically saves animals." Bans can help where hunting is unsustainable, but if land loses its wildlife income it may be converted to farming, which can be worse for wildlife.
- "Online outrage changes nothing." Viral cases have pushed airlines to stop carrying trophies and fed into political debates, including the UK's long-running effort to ban trophy imports.
What you can do if this story moved you
If the photos upset you, there are more useful responses than sending abuse to a stranger online. Supporting groups that work directly on giraffe protection, such as organisations that fund anti-poaching patrols and habitat protection in East and Central Africa, addresses the biggest threats. Choosing wildlife tourism operators that publish where your money goes also helps keep wild land valuable.
It is also worth reading past the headline. The most heated viral stories rarely include population data, management plans or where hunting fees end up, and those details are what decide whether a policy helps animals or not.
Sources: Gulf Today: Trophy hunter Van Der Merwe poses with Valentine gift; Wikipedia: Giraffe; originally reported by the Daily Mirror.
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