By Kate Harrold
ONLINE TROLLS sent death threats to this huntress’ unborn baby after she killed and posed next to dead animals whilst pregnant.
Youth worker and entrepreneur, Maja Odden (23), from Arendal, Norway, has been hunting since she was 14 years old. Maja would originally go hunting with her father – and the pastime still plays an important role in her family today albeit for a very different reason.
Maja fell pregnant with her son, Anders, in 2019, and after posting images of her pregnancy on her hunting-centric Instagram, Maja received an onslaught of death threats.
Online trolls called Maja a ‘whore bearing a child who will be just as disgusting as she is.’ Another wrote, ‘I hope your baby dies.’ In one instance, police had to stop a man travelling from Prague, Czech Republic, to Maja’s hometown.
“I will never stop hunting, and I can’t wait to show my son how to respect nature and live off the land just like me,” Maja said.
“I’ve always received death threats on Instagram. Being a girl with an interest in hunting seems to be a disturbing and unnatural thought to some people.
“I’ve received videos of people saying they want to kill me. I’ve never cared about the death threats but when I was pregnant, things changed. It was no longer just a threat to me – it was a threat to my unborn child.
“My partner, Arve, didn’t like that the comments were getting worse. He suggested deleting my account for the sake of our son but these people should not stop us from sharing what nature has to give.
“My dad is a hunter so my interest started there when I was fourteen. Now during hunting season, I still hunt three or four days a week.”
For Maja, hunting has never been about the kill – something which she explains to her critics. Instead, Maja seeks to educate her followers on the sustainability of hunting.
“Some people don’t want to learn and I can’t help those people understand what hunting is about, but many others are willing to understand,” Maja said.
“I write about why we hunt and how important it is. We’re able to provide both ourselves and other people with sustainable meat rather than supporting meat factories who mistreat animals up until they’re killed in a cage.
“I love the teamwork involved and the time we get to spend in nature enjoying what it has to give. I love the idea of living off the land.
“I’ve also had people tell me that they’ve started hunting because of me because I’ve used my time to provide them with an understanding. I love to inspire people.”
For more, see @maja_odden.
