In the midst of a public outcry involving a Minnesota dentist who killed a well-known lion in Zimbabwe, a McCammon woman has started drawing national and international attention for the photos she’s taken — and some feel defiantly posted on Facebook — of the big game animals she’s been hunting in South Africa.

Sabrina Corgatelli, an accountant who works for Idaho State University, has posted pictures of her posing with the carcasses of an impala, blue wildebeest, warthog and giraffe, all of which she legally shot during her current hunting trip. The photos have been shared and seen by thousands and have drawn numerous comments, many of outrage, on social media. They are also making news throughout the U.S. and in the United Kingdom.

Efforts to reach Corgatelli failed on Monday, but during a recent interview with Carson Daly on TODAY, she defended her hunts.

“To me it’s not just killing an animal, it’s the hunt,” she said from South Africa during the interview. “There’s a lot of personal things in my life that have happened recently that have added to that. I won’t get into that or disclose those feelings. 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 respect for them.”

The picture of Corgatelli standing next to the giraffe, which she made her cover photo on her Facebook page, has drawn a lot of negative comments and a handful of supportive ones. Next to the photo, Corgatelli posted that the giraffe was an amazing animal and said she couldn’t be happier. “My emotion after getting him was a feeling I will never forget!”

In response, one person wrote:

“Wow, you killed a giraffe, an animal that wouldn’t hurt a fly.. No words for how disgusting you are.”

But during her interview with TODAY, Corgatelli said, “Giraffes are very dangerous animals. They could hurt you seriously very quickly.”

Corgatelli told TODAY that she didn’t hear about the death of Cecil, the well-known lion that was reportedly lured out of a national park and killed on private land, until the day after she killed the giraffe.

Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed the lion, has said he relied on his guides to ensure the hunt was legal, but both a professional hunter and a farm owner were arrested in connection to the lion’s death and Zimbabwe is now seeking Palmer’s extradition. Some Americans are also calling for a boycott against the dentist and others have protested outside of his office in Bloomington, Minn.

During her interview with TODAY, Corgatelli expressed some concerns about her job, which has also become public knowledge. But she said her time off from work was approved and she’s on vacation.

"Everything I've done here is legal, so how can you fault somebody because of their hobbies?" Corgatelli said, adding that employers are always going to have employees who do things they don’t agree with in their spare time. "How can an employer chastise you for something you do on your personal time that's legally done?"

It appears that Idaho State University officials agree with her. They released the following statement on Monday:

“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."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.