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Serial trophy hunter Aryanna Gourdin poses proudly alongside a majestic giraffe she has just gunned down in a picture that sparked a furious ­backlash from animal lovers.

But the 12-year-old, who has a string of kills to her name, defiantly vowed never to give up shooting wild beasts and churned out the disputed claim that blood sport like this is a conservation measure that stops the decline in big game numbers.

Aryanna shares the images of her and each ­dead creature on her Facebook page complete with captions bragging about the deaths, despite insisting she “loves” animals.

In one sick picture she can be seen holding the giraffe’s heart. And there are now plans to turn her sights on big cats.

Her boasts about killing defenceless creatures have led to a storm of criticism from around the world, with some branding her a “murderer”, “evil” and “disgusting”. She has even had death threats.

But Aryanna, who has been on several hunting trips with her dad, Eli, said: “I’m a hunter and no matter what people say to me I’m never going to stop.

"It’s something that I cherish and I enjoy and I want other people to see what I’ve been able to ­experience. I want other women and youth to get into the hunting experiences. It’s just awesome.

"We love animals too. It’s just, we also love hunting. I would never back down from hunting.”

Aryanna claimed the giraffe she killed in South Africa was an old bull and a “danger” to the rest of the herd and killing it will free up resources for other animals, ensuring “the species survives”.

The schoolgirl even claimed the kill, which is legal, would provide meat for orphanages and villages in the area.

But the Humane Society International branded the killing “senseless”. ­

International Trade Policy Specialist Masha Kalinina said: “When we allow children to participate in trophy hunting, instead of teaching them to respect creatures we are teaching them that it’s okay to kill for kicks and that animals are worth more dead than alive.

“Trophy hunting is cruel and does nothing to support conservation in Africa.

“Humanity and compassion is the kindest example we can set for the next generation.

"Trophy hunting is short-term financial gain for long-term loss, not just for the animal kingdom but also because killing off charismatic species deprives local economies of ecotourism ­opportunities.

“In South Africa, for example, as much as 2% or more of the gross domestic product is ­generated by wildlife tourism while trophy hunting is estimated to bring in only .02% or less.

“How much of this sum ­actually makes it to conservation, instead of pockets of wealthy hunting operators, is unclear.”

Even other hunters joined in the criticism of Aryanna, from Cove, Utah, after her latest kill. One,

Erica Hamon, told her: “This disgusts me. ‘Why’? Because being proud of a kill is one thing, but this is like a photoshoot and to me it’s not about killing for ‘sport’ and I don’t see a giraffe being ­something you should kill.

“There is a difference in killing a deer to feed your family and harvest the pelt and antlers than killing a giraffe and taking pictures of you holding its heart. That isn’t right at all.”

Aryanna, who has been pictured with a pink bow and arrow used in some hunts, has also killed a zebra, an impala and a wildebeest.

The captions to the images of her “prizes” include: “One of my dream hunts” followed by an emoji with hearts for eyes, “First day in Africa was a huge success” and “Good times in Africa”.

Dad Eli has said little about his daughter’s lust for killing animals during her online rows.

But when asked about her ­participation, he replied: “We’re proud to be hunters and we’ll never apologise for being a hunter.” He also claimed the giraffe Aryanna shot was a problem bull and told how she was encouraged to kill it.

Eli, once jailed for operating a meth lab, works for archery products ­manufacturer Bowtech. He has come under fire for letting Aryanna shoot big game in Africa for fun.

Critic Mark Cooke told him on Facebook : “A normal dad would not take his daughter to Africa to kill an animal for fun. You’ll argue hunting is what man has always done to justify your actions.

"Man used to think slavery was OK, too.” Despite the furore her boasts about killing have caused, Aryanna intends to return to Africa. And the men behind her hunts have told how they intend to take her to kill a big cat.

Mark Martineau and Jason Hansen also told how they have invited Josh and Sarah Bowmar – recently exposed by the Mirror for spearing a bear and leaving it to die an excruciating death – on a free lion hunt.

After the international uproar over the butchering of the animal, which led to Sarah, 27, being axed from the Under Armour hunting team, Martineau took to Twitter with his offer through the pair’s Rack Em Up account.

He told her: “Sarah, if you’d like to join us next year in Africa it’s on me. I’m putting Aryanna Gourdin on a lion next year.” She replied: “We would love to go back to Africa.”

But Sarah later insisted she and ­her US bodybuilder husband would not take up the offer. She said: “I personally would never hunt a lion.

“I understand the need for ­conservation but not every hunter wants to hunt every type of animal. I also understand where the meat goes in Africa and nothing is wasted.”

Martineau also claimed hunting helps conservation. He said: “I know without conservation efforts animals would be diminished as seen in other countries in Africa that have put a stop to hunting.

“In countries like South Africa the facts prove otherwise. In the 70s when it really started to push ­conservation the animal ­population went from 600,000 to now over 18 million.”

Martineau also defended US dentist Walter Palmer who sparked worldwide fury when he killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe last year.

He added: “Dr Walter Palmer ­participated in a hunt that was 100% legal as proven. Which I support.”

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* Video above is courtesy of 9 News.

Lucrative sport loved by Americans

Each year thousands of Americans pay millions of dollars to fulfil their bloodlust on the plains of Africa.

The lure of killing everything from a lion to a leopard, an elephant to a buffalo is a huge attraction.

Africa Safari Hunting Consultants offer a 10-day lion trip including the fee for hunting, baiting and trackers for £37,450 and a 10-day elephant kill for £15,700.

The hunts are conducted by Zimbabwe Hunting Safaris who show pictures of the kills on their website.

Americans generate revenue of an estimated £262million a year in Africa through the hunts.

Trophy hunters imported nearly 32,500 lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards between 2005 and 2014 according the US and international Humane Societies.