The Emperor is dead

[lendahand]

Anyone else on this forum upset to hear that the largest wild animal in britain has been shot for sport. I am talking about a magnificent stag standing 9ft tall to the top of his antlers. Known locally as the Emperor of Exmoor, It makes me feel sad that fellow human beings can call this sport.

[David Humphries]

Just saw this on Blue Peter with my two boys.

 

they were dissapointed.

 

the piece seemed to suggest the stag was shot off license, now that would of been a proper shame

 

Fine looking Beast

 

 

.

[Stephen Blair]

no! It has had its day, served its purpose and it needed culled to help the rest of the herd.

[treemeup]

They coulda put it in a home, how about longleat?

[Tree Man Tom]

Hears the article in our local paper.

 

The Exmoor Emperor is dead (From Somerset County Gazette)

 

The say he was shot by a licensed person, yet the the stag was found dead at the side of a road. Id imagine if being shot by a licensed person then they would at least dispose of the animal properly.

 

Im all for hunting, and maybe there was a genuine reason behind it all that the media havnt covered, who knows. Was a mighty fine animal though.

[Tree Man Tom]

no! It has had its day, served its purpose and it needed culled to help the rest of the herd.

 

Sounds about right to me

 

Shame you missed out on the mog mate, seemed to sell very quicky

[Stephen Blair]

I have obviously not heard the full stroy, just caught a bit of it on the radio.

 

Gutted Tom:blushing:

[Andy Collins]

My understanding was that someone paid to shoot the deer as a trophy. I have no issue with regular hunting shooting and fishing types, or indeed essential culling, but trophy shooting leaves me cold.

[Mick Stockbridge]

The say he was shot by a licensed person, yet the the stag was found dead at the side of a road.

 

 

It's illegal to use a firearm within 15yds from the centre of any highway (footpaths included)....some dodgy goings on imo......a bit like that mog that has suddenly sold...

[Matthew Arnold]

I cant stand trophy shooting. They are basically killing the ones that are very fit and healthy and leaving no true blood stock. The Emperor was one of very few true blood Red deer on exmoor. Most of the stags you see on Exmoor are cross breeds of Red and Sika deer and even some Fallow breed with the Reds. My mums cousins used to live near a village called Dulverton and you could watch the Red, Fallow and Sika deer mass feed in the valley bottom. Very few large deer are hit on the roads out that way it is mainly the Roe and Muntjac that are hit. I don't have anything against the control of deer but just shooting a stag for its trophy is a shame. And as the local news has reported it was most likely one of the so called "high-earning trophy hunters" rather than a run of the mill poacher. But why leave it on the side of the road for some unsuspecting member of the public to find at first light?