Exmoor Emperor, Britain's Largest Animal, Gunned Down In 'Trophy Hunt'

In a move that has infuriated British wildlife experts, a giant red stag thought to be the country's biggest wild animal has been shot dead, according to reports.

The stag, nicknamed the "Exmoor Emperor," weighed more than 300 pounds and stood nearly 9 feet tall. Its death is believed to have been carried out by a licensed sport hunter rather than poachers, the Daily Mail reports.

While there is no question as to the shooting's legality, the Emperor's death has reportedly angered animal activists and wildlife experts, who believe the wild stags should receive special protection during their mating season. Red deer stags are the biggest native land animals left in Britain, and the Emperor was thought to be the largest among them.

As British deer management expert Peter Donnelly tells The Telegraph:

"It's a disgrace that this magnificent animal has been shot at this time because it could be that he didn't get a chance to rut properly this year -therefore his genes have not been passed on this time round. The poor things should be left alone during the rut - not harried from pillar to post. If we care about deer, we should maintain a standard and stop all persecution during this important time of the year."

Donnelly went on to note his frustrations that sportsmen from abroad and other parts of the country had been descending upon Exmoor National Park specifically for bloodsport. "There are people who are prepared to spend quite ridiculous sums of money to have a trophy on their wall," he said.

Comments

[Edy Williams]

03:41 PM on 11/12/2010

you turn on t.v to start the day.kids watching,you see Laughing wiseguys with Shotguns,aiming at the graceful innocense of tHe buck,his new antlers, eating berries with his mate a doe,as he gazes at the camera,IN CURIOSITY,EVEN ALMOST A FRIENDLY GAZE,boom,they only injured,as he stumbles in pain,Boom,the men laughing at his final moments. 'Bebe Winklemen outdoor Secrets.'thesecret is THE WORST SHOW EVER SEEN. THEY SHOULD BE IN PRISON.DISGUSTING SIGHT TO HECKLE LAUGH AT. TEN YEARS OF NATURE CREATED MAGNIFECENT BEAUTY,DESTROYED WITH SLEEZY SHOTGUNS,tHIS IS SICK! EDY wILLIAMS

[elcerritan]

05:46 PM on 10/27/2010

The picture accompanying this article is not a red deer. I see that it's some stock photo from Getty Images. How hard would it have been to use a stock photo of the correct kind of animal? Given the widespread lunacy at this site, though, I guess I should be happy that they didn't use a cartoon cel from the film "Bambi."

[WendellPerrySociety]

12:38 PM on 10/28/2010

Great point because the animal in the pic is not even close (pretty lazy HP) - I attached a link with the actual animal - it is quite magnificent.

http://www.channel4.com/news/giant-stag-exmoor-emperor-shot-dead

[Tony 42]

10:24 AM on 10/27/2010

No it is not wrong to hunt animals during the mating season because the goal is to manage the population levels. A combination of limiting licenses and ensuring hunter success enables accurate control. In Canada populations are managed scientifically by very qualified scientists and others. The political process gets in the way rarely. It's a fairly good system.

[nihilzi]

11:45 AM on 10/27/2010

agreed. we need to manage populations, especially of mammals that consume lots of resources. Isn't there one animal that requires enormous amounts of resources and is approaching the 7 billion mark?

[KarateKid]

04:03 PM on 10/27/2010

Too bad we can't do that with Republicans.

[michaleenflynn]

09:39 AM on 10/27/2010

I cannot understand why there aren't more responsible, ecologically sound hunting laws regarding this species. The whole reason behind "hunting season" usually is based on mating/birthing seasons. WTH?

[jmpurser]

10:46 AM on 10/27/2010

There are "responsible, ecologically sound hunting laws" in place here. The article merely quotes the utterly ignorant on the subject.

[nihilzi]

11:46 AM on 10/27/2010

and you clearly have no idea how populations work.

[Vickster]

11:38 PM on 10/27/2010

In Michigan, the hunting season for deer occurs in the fall in order to cull the herd before winter sets in, thereby reducing the number of animals that will be competing for scarce resources from December to March. Of course, this also coincides with the rut, which begins somewhere around the first week of October and ends in early February or when all the does are bred, whichever comes first. As a rule, one can only hunt with a bow during the first six weeks of deer season because that's when the rut is in full swing. Firearms are only allowed during the last two weeks of November because it is assumed that 99% of the does will have been bred by then. This year, however, there was an early firearm season in September because the deer population has exploded in the last decade. There are also no limits on doe permits this year for the same reason.

Hunting deer in the spring when the does are birthing is illegal because young fawns don't have a chance of surviving without their mothers.

[jJohnson1]

03:26 AM on 10/27/2010

We began as scavengers then evolved to hunters and gatherers then we began farming the population keeps growing and in my opinion and in many other intelligent people we are over populated. We could revert back to hunting and gathering and greatly reduce the population of man and reversing almost all of the current issues we have from economic to health and environmental.
it is farming that has hard the greatest negative impact on the environment to date. and i read an earlier statement that a woman would not hunt for a trophy or do this, something along those lines, go buy a hunting magazine and you will see female trophy hunters proudly displayed among the men.

[Vickster]

11:44 PM on 10/27/2010

Modern medicine has contributed to our overpopulation too. I believe it was Paul Ehrlich who first argued that the culprit behind population growth in the twentieth century was a declining death rate and not a rising birth rate.

[rollingrock]

02:08 AM on 10/27/2010

hunting deer is a coward's sport. there is no skill or courage involved in hunting down a defenseless animal and killing it with a rifle. if these cowards want a real challenge, they ought to turn their guns on each other. at least the human prey can shoot back.

[Jimbo24]

09:20 AM on 10/27/2010

You obviously don't know much about hunting or the balance of ecosystems. Natural predators have been removed from many deer habitats. If there was no hunting the deer would overpopulate and eat all the food and die or succumb to disease. Its already happening in many areas because enough are not being hunted like in Wisconsin. Its called CWD or chronic wasting disease. Most if not all hunters also use the meat to supplement their food sources. You either reintroduce bears and wolves to eat the deer and possibly you or you allow hunting and let the people eat the deer.

[michaleenflynn]

09:40 AM on 10/27/2010

Jimbo - that's true, but would you agree it is irresponsible to allow hunting during rut?

[rollingrock]

04:26 PM on 10/27/2010

interesting points, but in this case it seems these deer are being hunted solely for sport. there is no mention of overpopulation being a factor.

[woodrowman]

02:04 AM on 10/27/2010

You haven't lived till you've had your hands inside a warm deer carcase.

How many here have gutted any kind of animal?

[Tony 42]

10:01 AM on 10/27/2010

I have harvested many moose and deer over the years. I eat the meat or give it away. I see nothing wrong with that. It is healthier (no chemicals) and I have seen documentaries on our commercial slaughter houses that have turned me off of "man made" meat all together. What a cruel food system we have when their are other, better alternatives.

This British deer was probably very old and going to die soon. The deer was probably dispatched quickly without too much suffering. I don't like the profit motive behind this "legal hunt" though.

[woodrowman]

10:25 AM on 10/27/2010

please move on, you are displaying unhealthy amounts of common sense are you are not welcome here.

[Vickster]

11:54 PM on 10/27/2010

I've been elbow-deep in warm guts more times than I can count. Mostly the lambs and goat kids I raise for meat, although I also process the meat when my husband brings home a deer. (I know how to do bone-in cuts too.)

[theshortladders]

09:11 PM on 10/26/2010

To be fair Donnelly is not altogether against the hunting of these animals, simply against the timing of the hunt. I realize it's a sensitive issue as I love animals, however given the urban/rural interface at work in most developed countries population management is necessary. The only other option is to reintroduce a predator. Bringing a mountain lion into the picture is not really an option when you consider encroaching urban sprawl.

[GrahamInCanada]

12:34 AM on 10/27/2010

Mountain lion? Urban/rural interface? Encroaching urban sprawl? Most developed countries?

The UK is tiny, with a large population, with a population density 10 times larger than the United States.

The arguments put forth by hunting Americans who claim to love animals (only if they can hunt them), such as "hunting is population control", as a "replacement for mountain lions", really don't export well.

[Tony 42]

10:03 AM on 10/27/2010

Hunters and their money are the ones who are the most active in preserving both animals and their habitat. True hunters revere the animals and the earth.

[theshortladders]

10:10 AM on 10/27/2010

Pray tell then oh high-minded why did they consult a 'British deer management expert?". Yes, the ratio is different, many things are but basic ecology is true across all borders.

[Bergen2]

07:30 PM on 10/26/2010

Killing for sport has never made sense to me. Maybe it's a Republican mentality thing.

[michaleenflynn]

09:44 AM on 10/27/2010

Lots of Dems hunt, what a silly statement.

[Bergen2]

03:31 PM on 10/27/2010

You're probably right.

[elcerritan]

05:34 PM on 10/27/2010

Example: My father. Die-hard Democrat. Life-long union guy. Hunter. We ate what he killed, but that doesn't mean that "sport" didn't come into it.

[shivabeach]

07:29 PM on 10/26/2010

How sad. How needless

[climbing panda]

06:29 PM on 10/26/2010

i wold love to have this thing mounted in my living room.

[deluk]

12:07 PM on 10/27/2010

Ewww...wrong website.

[KOCT]

04:29 PM on 10/26/2010

So much for British sophistication!

[BebeLush]

04:11 PM on 10/26/2010

Disgusting and disgraceful.

[Forester]

02:28 PM on 10/26/2010

Reminded me of the scene in the Queen with Helen Mirren.

[PartyOfMaybe]

02:02 PM on 10/26/2010

that's not a red deer in the picture

[elcerritan]

05:35 PM on 10/27/2010

The same thought crossed my mind. HuffPost is really st00pid about the pictures they use with their articles.