Vet Who Shot Dead Lion For Sport Dies On Another Hunting Trip

A trophy hunter who pictured himself with a dead lion has died after falling down a ravine. Big game hunter Luciano Ponzetto, 55, who also shared a picture of himself with a dead leopard , a shot baby elephant and other animals, slipped on ice while hunting birds in Italy.

The vet had received numerous death threats and hate mail from animal lovers after he shared his snaps on Instagram last year.

But he died on Saturday while hunting wild birds with friends in the Soana Valley in the Gran Paradiso National Park in north west Italy.

According to Italian reports the accident occurred at an altitude of 2,200 meters in the valley of the Colle delle Oche, above the town of Pianprato, when Ponzetto slipped and fell.

An Italian police spokesman told the Sun: "We were called by the mountain rescue services who had been alerted to the incident by someone who was out with him.

"It looks like he slipped and fell when he was out hunting.

"He died instantly and there was nothing that could be done."

The man's body was eventually recovered and taken to a hospital by helicopter.

Mr Ponzetto was forced to defend himself after the uproar following his lion photograph last year, saying: "I have the utmost respect for the animals and I have committed no offense either administrative or [through] professional conduct"

From ICE