Jewell Crossberg has been handed the position of acting district manager of the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions in Esperance.
In an acting district manager, Crossberg will be responsible for looking after the wildlife and natural assets in the district.
According to 9News, after Crossberg’s appointment, a number of pictures appeared in a Facebook album titled ‘business and pleasure’, showing Crossberg posing over the dead bodies of rhinos, giraffes, and zebras he had shot at a South African game reserve in 2010.
In one of the photos, Crossberg can be seen grinning while kneeling down next to the body of a giraffe with a rifle in hand. In another, he looks happy as he stands next to a dead zebra.
Predictably, the resurfaced photos have sparked outrage, and many people have called for Crossberg to be fired from his position within the conversation department.
A letter was written by residents of Esperance to 9 News, expressing their anger regarding the issue.
“We the citizens of Esperance are very concerned about the recent appointment of Jewell Crossberg,” the letter reads.
“We think the director Jason Foster has made a very bad judgment call. We are so disappointed to see Mr. Crossberg is not a true conservationist and shouldn’t be in a position of this standing.”
The department has since issued a statement, claiming that Crossberg had undergone a competitive recruitment process to get the position.
“The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions is committed to wildlife conservation and ensuring the world’s best animal welfare practices,” the statement said.
“Jewell Crossberg went through a competitive recruitment process and demonstrated he had the appropriate skills for the acting district manager role.”
Crossberg has since deleted his Facebook page, and he is yet to comment on any of the issues himself.
While Premier Mark McGowan has said the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions needs to investigate how Crossberg was appointed to the role and suggested it was not appropriate for a game hunting enthusiast to hold such a position, ABC News reported.
“I’m appalled by [the photos]. I hate that. You see that sometimes online and you think ‘What goes through the heads of people who go and do that sort of thing? Obviously we will have to investigate how we were appointed and why he was appointed. And I’ve sought that action to be taken immediately. People with this sort of mindset and this sort of history, I don’t see how they get these sorts of jobs.”