Smiling girl armed with gun poses next to carcass after 'harvesting' bear
A series of photos posted on Facebook by reality TV family The Putmans has caused controversy with tween Abby posing with her ‘first kill’.
“This morning at 8:22 Abby was blessed with her first bear at our cabin,” the post began on Monday (local time).
The photos appear to show Abby, from Michigan, smiling as she poses with her weapon and a bear she killed near the family cabin.
The family of 26, all live under the one roof and their adventures of several different generations living together appeared on US channel TLC.
The family is incredibly close and it appears they do everything together, including hunt, which can cause some sibling rivalry.
“The competition was fierce,” the post said, adding: “We had some criers but they (the children) were so excited for her (Abby).”
The post went on to explain that Abby, who was 10 when Meet The Putmans started airing in 2017, “graced the family record” by shooting the biggest bear to date.
As Abby posed proudly over the carcass, her parents showed their admiration with a kiss on each cheek.
“Sitting with her dad was a bonding experience she will always cherish,” the post continued.
The post ended with various positive hashtags and describing the kill as a “harvest”, which they have permits for.
Fans of the reality show family have lashed out, suggesting there was no need to ‘harvest’ the bear and the photos went too far.
“What a beautiful animal, I’m sorry your family saw his death as something to do and celebrate, something to ‘bond’ over,” one person wrote.
“I’m well aware of the fact that dead animals don’t magically appear on butcher counters in stores but you don’t need to celebrate it by hugging and taking pictures with it,” another person responded.
The family responded by writing there was a population growth in the area.
“It is a harvest, there is a very large population in the area,” the family wrote.
“People are overpopulated too but you don't go out and kill them,” one person responded.
The deeply religious family is active on social media and recently told their fans that they should “do something each day that will leave you closer to the Lord”.
One person asked how killing a bear would do that.
“After reading your recent post ‘do something each day that will lead you closer to the Lord’, I am truly perplexed how killing, celebrating and bonding over this beautiful animals death does this?” the social media user said.
While another asked the question a few others were curious about.
“Isn't bear meat disgusting anyways (sic)?” the person said.
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