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This Morning viewers divided over ‘animal lover’ mum who hunts and kills animals to feed family

She insisted hunting game is "ethical"

By Rebecca Carter

This Morning viewers are divided over a mum who hunts and kills animals to feed her family.

Rachel Carrie, from Yorkshire, appeared on Friday’s show to explain why she chooses to shun all meat that she hasn’t shot herself.

After growing up vegetarian, Rachel is now encouraging others to introduce game meat into their cooking.

Rachel has encouraged others to introduce game meat into their cooking (Credit: ITV)

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Explaining why she hunts and kills animals, Rachel said: “Most of the land I go out on is the local farmers’ just behind my house.

“I was seven-years-old and became vegetarian because I was an avid animal lover.

“A year later, when I was eight, my dad took me rabbit hunting and taught me how to rabbit hunt and then taught me how to skin and butcher the rabbit.”

She continued: “All of the questions I had about food and factory farming and was [the animal] killed ethically and with respect were answered by my dad by him taking me out hunting and showing me this is wild game and it lived a happy life.”

Rachel said she started rabbit hunting when she was eight (Credit: ITV)

When asked what the first animal she killed was, Rachel said: “I was ferreting with rabbits so it was rabbits at eight years old.

“I used to skin, butcher them and prepare them for mum’s rabbit stew. The interesting thing was, I was a vegetarian at this point but would happily eat mum’s rabbit stew.”

Speaking about how she hunts now, Rachel explained: “I have a rule that when my freezer stocks start getting low, it’s time to go out and source something.

“The whole point is that the animal never knew you were there.”

When asked how she knows that the shot won’t hurt the animals, Rachel said: “You would not take the shot unless you were 100 per cent certain.

Rachel said she’s passionate about trying to get more people to consider game in their diets (Credit: ITV)

“There’s a lot of training involved. A couple of years. I’m not going to out there looking for whatever.”

She added: “I do all the hard work and the family enjoy it.”

When asked if her 13-year-old son gets involved with preparing the animals, Rachel said: “Yes, that’s our family time.”

She added: “I try to encourage as many friends to eat game. It’s healthier. It’s more ethical. The animals have lived a much nicer life.”

Viewers were divided over the issue and shared their thoughts on Twitter.

Viewers were divided over Rachel’s actions (Credit: ITV)

One person said: “I cannot stand anyone who hunts animals in any form and this woman on #ThisMorning clearly has no shame or consideration for the animals she kills.”

Another tweeted: “#thismorning ‘I’m an avid animal lover’ Yet she goes out and shoots them in cold blood. Give over love, what a stupid woman!”

Another wrote: “@thismorning is this woman for real? The game was living a happy life. Yes! Until you came along and shot it. Not impressed with this feature today.”

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Others defended Rachel.

One wrote: “There is a big difference between hunting for the fun of it and hunting to feed your family. You are not killing to excess. You are killing humanely and only as much as you need.”

Another said: “Hunting your own food at least you know where it’s come from, how it’s been killed etc. Not my bag personally but each to their own.”

A third added: “My family eat game every week my husband culls for conservation and he shoots pheasants and deer himself along with many other game.”

Do you agree with Rachel? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know.

Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)

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