A former NFL player triggered environmentalists on social media when he posted a picture of himself holding a dead mountain lion.
On Thursday, former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Derek Wolfe posted a picture of himself with a mountain lion he had killed in rural Colorado, KDVR-TV reported.
According to Wolfe’s post, the mountain lion was killing family pets in the area and was living under a resident’s porch, and Wolfe was called in to deal with it. The Super Bowl champion stalked the giant beast and managed to kill it with a bow.
View this post on Instagram
While most people responded to the post by praising Wolfe for defending the neighborhood and remarking on the size of the massive animal, there was some predictable outrage from environmentalists on Twitter and Instagram.
One Instagram user wrote, “Or did a neighborhood wreak havoc on the lions habitat and it’s now just trying to survive,” implying that the lion was justified in attacking families.
Meanwhile, on Twitter, others echoed that message, saying that Wolfe was the real monster and should be punished.
Ex-NFL player Derek Wolfe kills a mountain Lion in Colorado. I feel some type of way about this. These types are dangerous. The human not the lion. #AnimalCruelty pic.twitter.com/4POtpH6dHh
— LaLa ? (@iamlalajones) January 20, 2023
Or “Derek Wolfe kills mountain lion after humans invade its habitat” https://t.co/Sel7VOF5Aj
— Vance Meek (@vancemeek) January 20, 2023
Looks like they were in the cats territory. Leave that beautiful animal alone smh
— DJ Trap-A-Holics (@TRAPAHOLICS) January 20, 2023
So horrible that former Bronco Derek Wolfe killed a mountain Lion! I hope at the very least he gets a huge fine.
— Will Ross (@livin4God91) January 20, 2023
Perhaps these environmentalists are forgetting that the people who live in these isolated mountain towns deal with the very real problem of lions running amok in their neighborhoods.
Earlier this month, The Sacramento Bee reported that in the town of Nederland, Colorado, mountain lions had killed or attacked a dozen house pets in two months.
In 2019, 8-year-old Pike Carlson of Bailey, Colorado, was attacked by a mountain lion while he was outside playing, according to KDVR. Thankfully, he survived, but there have been three fatal lion attacks in Colorado since 1990.
The fact of the matter is, hunting is necessary for wildlife management. It is not about being cruel to animals; it is about the defense of homes and families.
Derek Wolfe did everything legally and for a good reason. This man is a hero, as he stepped up to defend a community from danger.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.