WARNING: Distresssing content and images

A US woman who killed and skinned a husky after mistaking it for a wolf pup has issued an apology after photos of her posing with the dead dog went viral.

Amber Rose, from the largely rural state of Montana, posted graphic photos on social media showing her proudly posing with the dead husky.

"So this morning I set out for a solo predator hunt for a fall black bear however I got the opportunity to take another predator wolf pup 2022 was a great feeling to text my man and say I just smoked a wolf pup. #firstwolf #onelesspredatorMT," Rose wrote.

Other users quickly pointed out her error, calling her out for her mistake and for her apparent enthusiasm for killing a young animal.

One wrote that she had "skinned a husky.. not a wolf, an obvious husky."

"Also the fact that she is calling it a 'pup' concerns me that she thinks it's OK to hunt young animals which, as you know, is not good for an area's ecosystem," they added.

The sheriff's office is trying to find who dumped the dogs in the area before one was shot by Amber Rose.

The Flathead County Sheriff's Office said it had heard from someone who reported picking up "several husky and shepherd mix dogs" that were dropped in the area of Doris Creek in the Flathead National Forest.

"The parties were able to pick up 11 dogs which were turned over to Animal Control and taken to the animal shelter," they said in a statement.

"During this investigation, we were advised through Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks that one of the dogs may have been shot."

Investigations into the incident have now commenced.

Rose bragged on Facebook before she realised her error. Photo / Facebook

"It's always important to be certain of the animal you're going to harvest," Greg Lemon from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Park told MTN news.

Local husky owner Rebecca Harding told MTN that Rose's actions hurt their community.

"It's like, how could you ever mistake a husky like that for a wolf?" she said.

"She's poaching. She's hurting our hunting community by posting that she went out looking for one specific animal and shooting a different one," Harding added.

The gruesome photos went viral. Photo / Facebook

In her defence, Rose claimed that she believed the animal was a "hybrid" that was trying to "eat" her.

"I purchased my wolf tag prior to leaving for a bear hunt in the event I ran into a wolf in which I came to an encounter with what I thought could be a hybrid during this time my safety was top priority this animal was growling howling and coming at me like it was going to eat me," she wrote on Facebook.

"Yes I made a mistake because I did think it was a hybrid wolf pup," she wrote, adding that she would have shot the animal regardless because it was "aggressive and coming directly for me".

"I'm human," Rose said.

"I'm not a cruel individual just out killing people's pets."