Washington Post reports on harvesting of albino buck

The story of the hunt and harvesting of Cape Girardeau's popular albino buck is grabbing attention nationwide.

The Washington Post is the latest to pursue the story.

A writer for The Washington Post talked with hunter Jerry Kinnaman on Thursday. The hunter reiterated what he told a Southeast Missourian reporter about receiving death threats because of the kill, though he believes the threats are mere posturing.

Regarding the deer's popularity, he told The Washington Post: "I was the same way as anybody else about this deer, so I understand the relationship some of these people have."

Kinnaman repeated his assertion the deer was not healthy. He said there was not much fat on the it and the deer's teeth were in poor condition. He has said the animal was older than 7, already well beyond typical life expectancy. Kinnaman also continued to try to dispel assumptions he killed the deer just to cash in.

Kinnaman harvested the deer Tuesday, and news of the hunt spread quickly on social media.

There was a strong backlash, with many saying the animal should not have been hunted because of its rarity and popularity in and around the city.

Facebook posts -- one a story and the other a video -- on Tuesday by the Southeast Missourian collectively hit a reach of more than a half million as people shared and debated the ethics of the hunt. The Facebook video was shared more than 1,500 times as of Thursday afternoon. One of KFVS 12's Facebook posts on the topic was shared more than 1,800 times. On Wednesday, The Associated Press filed a story based on the Southeast Missourian's initial coverage.

The story was picked up in the St. Louis market by radio and television outlets, and several papers across Missouri published it. KFVS-12's story on the hunt also was picked up and distributed to other CBS affiliates.

The story also is stirring up a lot of conversation on hunting websites.

Link to Washington Post story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/12/04/hunter-faces-backlash-after-bagging-rare-albino-deer/

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