Soccer star's girlfriend sparks outrage sporting endangered animal fur
Rocio Oliva, the 27-year-old girlfriend of retired Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona, is under fire on social media after wearing a lynx fur coat to the World Cup Draw in Moscow on Friday.
Twitter users were quick to condemn Oliva for wearing the endangered animal’s skin. “Hello, #RocioOliva, maybe you are not interested, but I wanted to tell you that the 20 lynxes that you killed to put them on were in Category 1 on the way to extinction. Did you know what that means? or do you only care that your skin is sheltered from the cold?” writes @menesundo2.
Hola #RocioOliva tal vez no te interese, pero te quería comentar que los 20 linces que mataste para ponertelos encima, estában en Categoría 1 en la vía de extinción. Sabías lo que eso significa? o solo te importa que tu piel este al resguardo del frío?
— César (@menesundo2) December 1, 2017
The Eurasian lynx population has bounced back in recent years, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, but still remains on the endangered species list. Some estimates put the remaining population at about 50,000 animals.
The lynx is the third largest predator in continental Europe and is still hunted for its fur. The lynx also faces the constant threat of habitat loss.
Oliva reportedly posted a photo of herself in the coat to her private Instagram account the night of the draw. She writes in the caption: “’Gala photo. For friends….for the rest???? Well, ask me.’”
Oliva has been engaged to the 57-year-old Maradona for three years. In that time they haven’t been strangers to controversy. Video of Maradona striking her went viral in October 2014. The soccer star denies hitting her, saying he was trying to knock her phone out of her hand.
Fur, while still controversial, remains a powerful status symbol among the world’s wealthy elite. When President Trump visited Saudi Arabia on a diplomatic visit he was showered with gifts by the Saudi royal family. Among those gifts were two robes lined with tiger fur.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Melania Trump Will No Longer Wear Fur (Maybe Thanks to Pamela Anderson)
Rihanna Wore a Fur Jacket to Dior Show — and Social Media Is Not Happy
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