Test Thompson Talley Tell CBS this morning she killed the old bull giraffe to prevent it from attacking younger giraffes, she said.

Quote This is called conservation through game management.

David Begnaud shows us why some conservationists aren't buying her explanation.

David, Good morning, Anthony.

Good morning.

You know, the situation is being compared to Cecil the Lion.

Remember that iconic big cat that was hunted down by Minnesota Dennis back in 2015?

Now, even though the giraffe in this case wasn't world famous like Cecil, the response from animal lovers has been equally intense.

Conservationists fear that one of the greatest beast of the African savannah could soon face extinction.

Fewer than 100,000 giraffes remain on the entire planet.

So when these pictures surfaced of test Thompson tally, posing with a giraffe she just killed conservationists were sickened is shocking that anyone would take joy or pleasure in killing a beautiful and graceful animal like a giraffe.

It was an obscure news website called Africa Land that posted the pictures on Twitter describing Tally is a white American savage who is partly a Neanderthal actress Debra Messing said.

She was a vile, heartless, selfish murderer.

People will say stuff you know, behind a computer screen.

They never say to your face.

Paul Baba's is president of the hunting advocacy group Safari Club International Test.

Thompson Tally is also a member she was hiding in South Africa, and giraffes are legal to hunt in South Africa.

In a statement, Talley said the giraffe she killed last year was over 18 years old and beyond breeding age, yet had killed three younger bulls.

Now that the giraffe is gone, the younger bulls are able to breed, she said.

According to Baba's, the trophy fee for a giraffe is about 2 to $3000 per animal, he says.

Because money from legal hunting helps support the local community, it provides an incentive to make sure big game animals don't become extinct.

Without that, the poachers will come in and kill animals indiscriminately, which is very unfortunate tallies.

Prey was a South African giraffe that had a black coat due to its age.

It's a sub species that's population is up, actually, 167% since 1979 to more than 21,000 but the giraffe population overall has declined as much as 40%.

Iris Ho with Humane Society International, insists that wildlife tourism is far more beneficial for the animals and local communities than trophy hunting.

U.

S imports.

You know, almost of 4000 giraffe trophies for the last 10 years, probably every day.

There's a draft being killed and imported into the U.

S.

Is hunting trophy.

Now, according to Bob says that hunting advocate we spoke to tally ate some of the giraffes meet during the hunting trip, but gave most of it away to feed more than 200 local Villagers, including Children, at an orphanage.

He was not able to prove that that happened then.

We cannot independently confirm it.

So many questions here.

I mean, I have to say I have trouble with this whole idea of posing with an animal.

You just ideo I don't understand why you want to do.

I don't either.

I just threw up in my mouth, and then when you just give that tag that you gave, the more you here, the worse it gets.

I didn't even know that people hunted giraffes.

Number one?

Yeah, growing up in Texas.

Like Nor.

And I did.

Look, big game hunting is not foreign, but I may be ignorantly.

Didn't know the giraffe.

Yeah.

Yeah, I didn't think you'd believe it.