hunter shooting lion @Protect_Wldlife/Twitter

A sickening video has been shared on social media showing the cruel and pointless killing of a lion as it slept.

The video shows a ‘trophy hunter’ take aim at the lion as it lies on the ground, seemingly asleep, before he fires a shot. The lion immediately writhes in agony for a few moments, before the camera cuts to the hunting party congratulating each other.

The footage was shared by the Twitter account @Protect_Wldlife. No details were given about the incident, who was involved or where it took place, though one man can be heard calling the other ‘Mr Gooney’.

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Sharing the disgusting footage, they wrote:

This ‘hunter’ sneaked up on a SLEEPING #Lion and killed it! How brave, how sporting – HOW C**TISH!!! According to the @NatGeo magazine, the Lion will have disappeared from the African continent in 2050!!!! RT if you want a GLOBAL ban on ALL #trophyhunting NOW!!

You can watch it here. But be warned – it is graphic:

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According to National Geographic, the global population of African Lion is decreasing, with the animal currently listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the ICUN Red List of threatened species.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation, the lion population is estimated at less then 23,000. Just 100 years ago it was over 200,000. Conservationists fear that the animal could become extinct by 2050 if the trend continues.

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Naturally, people on Twitter were quick to respond to the cruel video.

One person wrote:

What a pair of gutless creeps. The South African guide is the murderer the shooter is a mindless dumbfuck. How more disgusting can you get. Murdering a sleeping lion and then congratulating each other..it’s money and no humanity, these people stink.

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Another said:

What a disgusting ‘human being’. Is this legal even? It’s certainly inhumane to shoot a sleeping lion or any animal. We are killing the planet and all that’s in it. I can’t describe my disgust at this. If I could I would shoot the ‘hunter’ but I would make sure he was awake.

While someone else wrote:

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There is something not right with people who gain pleasure from killing animals. As far as I’m concerned, it puts you on a similar spectrum as a psychopath. The world is full of things to keep us occupied. If you actively want to spend your time killing things, you’re not right.

Many people called for the man in the video to be named and shamed.

It’s baffling that this type of pointless killing is still happening. Hunting is not ‘sport’, animals are not ‘trophies’ and they never will be.