U.S. hunter Sabrina Corgatelli defends trophy photos after posing with dead giraffe

A hunter from Idaho is defending herself from online criticism after posting photos on Facebook of herself with her kills, including a giraffe, from a recent legal hunt in South Africa.

Sabrina Corgatelli's photosareof the animals she killed during thehunting trip ina private game reservenear South Africa's Kruger National Park.

Her trophies included a kudu, an impala, a wildebeest and a warthog, but it is the photo of herself posingwith a giraffe wrapped around her that appears to have sparked most of the protest online.

"Day #2 I got a amazing old Giraffe. Such a amazing animal!! I couldn't be any happier!! My emotion after getting him was a feeling I will never forget!!!" Corgatelli, an Idaho accountant,wrote in her Facebook post July 25.

Her posts have drawn thousands of people to her Facebook pages, leaving comments and posts denouncing her photos and insulting her.Some of the comments threatenher,using violent, profane and misogynistic language.

The criticism and threats drew the attention of the American media andCorgatelliappeared on the Today show Monday morning.

"To me it's not just killing an animal, it's the hunt,'' she said in an interview with Carson Daly. "Everybody just thinks we're cold-hearted killers, and it's not that. There is a connection with the animal, and just because we hunt them doesn't mean we don't have a respect for them."

Much of the criticism of Corgatelli'sphoto focused on her choice of target.

"Giraffes are very dangerous animals," she said on Today."They could hurt you seriously very quickly."

Some of the posts on Facebook mention her place of work and threaten her job.

"Everything I've done here is legal," Corgatelli said in the interview."How can an employer chastise you for something you do on your personal time that's legally done?"

Idaho State University spokesman Andrew Taylor confirmed that Corgatelli has been employed at the university since January.

"This is not an Idaho State University matter. While the individual in question is an employee, her personal choices are not representative of the university," school officials told The Associated Press in a prepared statement.

The online uproar comes on the heels of the illegal killing of Cecil the lion,a beloved and popular attraction in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park.

The head of Zimbabwe's safari association said the lionwas unethically lured into the kill zone early in Julyand killed by American dentistWalter Palmer.

• Cecil the lion reportedly killed by U.S. dentist Walter Palmer
• Zimbabweans involved in hunt of Cecil the lion appear in court
• Walter Palmer, dentist and lion slayer, now on the internet hunt list

The Facebook campaign againstCorgatelliis also reminiscent of the online rage last summerover a similar series of photos thatTexas teen Kendall Jones posted.

• Texas cheerleader's 'big game' hunting photos enrage animal lovers
• Kendall Jones selfies with dead game removed by Facebook
• Kendall Jones big-game hunting furor: Is it sexist?