“Johny,” a hunter in New Zealand, is facing the wrath of the Internet after posting a photo to the New Zealand Women Hunters Facebook page showing his eight-year-old daughter Chloe taking a bite of a freshly harvested deer heart.
The deer in question was Chloe’s first hunting trophy: a small stag Chloe shot herself while out hunting with her dad. Taking a bite of the heart, which was bloody and still beating, is a tradition for young hunters celebrating their first official kill.
But apparently, while shooting, killing, dressing and harvesting the deer were just fine, munching on the deer heart was a step too far for Facebook commenters, who called Johny “sadistic” and “a psychopath.”
For his part, Johny told Buzzfeed that he and his daughter are partners in adventure, and that he’s been taking her on hunts since she was a baby. “Chloe has been coming hunting with me since she was eight months old on a front pack. This was her first deer,” he said. “She has shot a goat, and been target shooting.”
He also said that biting the heart was Chloe’s idea. She’d seen her uncle do it in photos and wanted to commemorate her hunt in the same way. In some cultures, taking a bite of the heart is a sign of respect for what you’ve killed, and Chloe wanted to take part in the ritual. Her dad was more than willing to help: “We’re not too serious about it; it’s something some hunters do with the first kill. I wouldn’t say it’s ritualistic, but she is a hunter now.”
Some of the hunters on the page felt the same way, telling the “haters” that Chloe’s family should be proud of her bravery, and that she exhibited a deep understanding of her pastime.
