Author Joyce Carol Oates is outraged over fake dinosaur photo

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Author Joyce Carol Oates is heartbroken at the pitiless savages who brought down a magnificent beast seemingly for no reason other than a photo to hang in the trophy case.

"So barbaric that this should still be allowed... No conservation laws in effect wherever this is?" she lamented via her own Twitter feed.

Don't worry, no dinosaurs were harmed in the staging of this photo.

Credit: Jennifer Brett

icon to expand image

Credit: Jennifer Brett

She can take some comfort in knowing that the dinosaur in question, shown in a heap next to director Steven Spielberg, is just a "Jurassic Park" prop, conveniently timed to the opening of "Jurassic World," in theaters now. [Photos of the red carpet premiere here]

On the other hand, all dinosaurs are dead. Alas, there were no Twitter campaigns around to raise awareness of their plight millions of years ago.

Update: Oates told Newsweek after her tweet made the rounds that she was only joking, although I can't find a follow-up on her Twitter feed indicating that.