PETA Scolds Duke & Duchess Of Cambridge For Bird Hunt

PETA loves to poke its nose into every celebrity's business (most recently, Rihanna). But now the animal rights group has aimed its targets on the royals.

Multiple news sources report that PETA disapproves of Prince William's birthday present of 250 pheasants, ducks and partridges to his younger brother Prince Harry. The game birds are intended for a shoot at the Queen's Sandringham Estate to celebrate the prince's 27th birthday, in keeping with a centuries-long British cultural tradition of hunting.

But tradition or not, PETA is not on board with hunting, even if done by princes. So PETA President Ingrid Newkirk has penned a letter to the Duchess of Cambridge asking her to influence the men in her life:

"We understand that Prince William has given a gift of 'game birds' to Prince Harry for his birthday. There is no honour in buying birds and reducing them, as if they were clay pigeons, to shooting targets. Those who aren't killed outright are often dispatched by having their necks wrung, which does not cause an instant or painless death.

May I ask you to use your influence on the Princes and ask them to reconsider this gift? You are in a unique position to be able to wield considerable influence over whether people everywhere view animals and their place in our world with kindness or blithely ignore their suffering.

Please ask the Princes to open their hearts to the suffering of birds casually used as skeet and make the compassionate decision not to kill for fun. By canceling the planned 'day's sport' in favor of a more enlightened, fitting and humane pursuit, they will win hearts and commendations and spare hundreds of birds a terrifying end, making it clear that the monarchy is in tune with the social movement against cruelty to animals."

Although we don't disagree that killing birds for fun isn't the best way to spend a birthday, it seems strange that PETA decided to drag Kate into all this... why not just shoot (no pun intended) Prince Will an email?

Or better yet, contact his father, Prince Charles. In 2008, upon suggestions from PETA, Charles stopped buy foie gras and urged his royal chefs to do the same.

Alas the Duchess of Cambridge has not commented in response to PETA's requests.

Learn more about PETA's royal complaints on E!.

Comments

[hchavez]

07:23 AM on 10/09/2011

Why is PETA upset with the Royal Couple? Because this is the age when everyone becomes upset with anyone who utters a sound. I mean, really. Why speak? It's boud to torque off somebody. Everyone is a winner. Everyone is an idol. Everyone is a star. Everyone gets a medal. In such a society discourse is the first casualty.

[Alois SaintMartin]

04:14 PM on 09/27/2011

No more Absoluton, No more American Colonies, No more Schleswig and Holstien, You think they could go to the Supermarket and buy thier Cornish Game Hens like eny other Frustrated Capitalist Consumer !

[Abby Gunn]

08:49 PM on 09/26/2011

Help me to understand something - is PETA concerned about babies that are killed by abortion? I know they are animal activists - just wondering of they care about humans as well.

[Marc Conder]

05:27 PM on 09/26/2011

My point, I did not know people 'bought flocks fo birds for killing?' I had, with out much thought, assumned these hunts were not all 'baited'. Prince William, what a clueless prat you are, Prince Harry, That nazi uniform was no mistake. You 'Pretend" hunt like german aristocrats did, round up the prey, let it loose in front of your guns, and you can claim some manufactered total for the day. Worse then a prat, a punk. Punk Harry of Windsor....not a good sound......Not a decent man either. A true sportsman takes a chance with nature, a posuer has some one toss the birds up for him. Pratt Punk Poseur of Windsor. This alone could be the reason for the downfall of the british monarghy, not with a bang, but the whimper of a dove.

[nm9377]

04:46 PM on 09/26/2011

the sent her an email because shes a women and think shell use her "womenaly ways" on hubby to persuade him to change his mind. Women do it every day and every where so come on! :D

[ByThePowerOfGrayskull]

12:36 PM on 09/26/2011

PETA members are out of their cotton-picking minds.

[stonewalker]

12:42 PM on 09/26/2011

I don't know that I disagree with the principles guiding their actions here. Tradition should not be exempt from review in light of our newer understanding of our natural world. Take the spanish bullfight. It's extremely inhumane (and cowardly, they often cut one of the tendons in the bulls neck before the fight so it can only turn one way) but an age old sport. I think they should stop it.

Hunting for sport alone is not something I think is worth preserving tradition over. A hunter should always use as much of his kill as possible, even if he's a prince.

[stonewalker]

12:17 PM on 09/26/2011

As silly as I think 95% of what PETA does, at least they are not making a special exception for an "elevated class".

[frank day]

09:54 PM on 09/25/2011

Who writes this tawdry crap???

[justwhendoesitend]

07:56 PM on 09/25/2011

PETA is ridiculous, they also have members who are down right terrorists. They are against against any use of animals what so ever, but they believe they have the right to interfere with others rights. Heck I bet those birds were raised just for the purpose of hunting. You do know many animals are raised just for that reason, hunting. Now I only know this being done on private property. I am not a hunter btw, I may not agree but it certainly legal for the Prince to do this.

I have no patience for folks connected with PETA, I believe 95% of them are nuts.

[Connie Markley Boppre]

03:39 PM on 09/25/2011

i don't belong to peta but i don't need to be a member to know it is inhumane to kill for sport. seriously, it's time we evolve

[medawara]

02:01 PM on 09/26/2011

But had we not hunted we would not have evolved so what are you proposing to evolve in to?

[Connie Markley Boppre]

02:12 PM on 09/26/2011

we hunted when we had to hunt to survive, yes ? i'm proposing we evolve into a higher-level of consciousness and AVOID HUNTING FOR SPORT. that's all.

[socalrunner]

02:41 PM on 09/25/2011

"why not just shoot (no pun intended) Prince Will an email?"

Hello...because PETA’s mission is to stop the abuse and killing of animals. Thus, when celebrity couples callously make a public spectacle of killing animals, PETA makes a public statement to intervene.

This is simply PETA’s mission to end the senseless killing of animals and their attempt to save these particular animals. If the "royal couple" and/or Duchess want to avoid public controversy, they should consult with a public affairs consultant before acting.

[Stand Up for your Belief]

11:26 AM on 09/25/2011

PETA uses some hateful and hurtful tactics to scold and hurt people. They r no better than the people who kill the animals. You can't use hate to fight for your cause.

[socalrunner]

02:47 PM on 09/25/2011

Sorry, but the senseless slaughter of animals for mere sport is now right sickening--how anyone can kill an animal for the pure joy of killing it is beyond me. The hate is in those people who kill for sport--this is about the senseless slaughter of animals for mere sport.

[NoSillyName]

01:33 AM on 09/26/2011

I'm with you, socalrunner. I would never kill something for sport. I don't even kill bugs unless they are harmful. The ticks I pull off of my dog get flushed.

[NoSillyName]

01:35 AM on 09/26/2011

Hurt feelings aren't equivalent to death.

[Claud Pipkin]

10:29 AM on 09/25/2011

Come on peta!...(Ingrid Newkirk)...........Bird hunting?.........Man, don't come to Texas......

[tedhices]

09:12 AM on 09/25/2011

These PETA people live such a charmed life they actually think this is important.

[zeebro1]

01:07 PM on 09/25/2011

These hunters are the ones leading the charmed lives. Many of them have never worked a day in their lives.

[the grange gorman]

02:41 PM on 09/25/2011

I dont agree with shooting birds for fun

but

prince Harry served in Afghanistan , a pointless war perhaps , but he does try to be relevant........

[Berettasskeeter]

12:33 PM on 09/26/2011

Really? What study has shown any proof for your statement?
Semper fi

[SimonBao]

09:08 AM on 09/25/2011

To be fair... and to be honest, which PETA never is, these hunts are NOT about "killing birds for fun."

This is NOT about some yahoos grabbing shotguns and going out and blasting away at crows or whatever else they can find.

It's a traditional hunt, involving game birds raised by humans, exclusively for the purpose of being released for a hunt, so that they can then be plucked, drawn, well-prepared, and eaten. With great pleasure.

It's not substantially different than raising a flock of chickens, except that these game birds are raised in conditions far superior to 99.99% of American poultry, and many of these game birds also stand a good chance of escaping death and the dining table.

I would never kill an animal for fun, but I enthusiastically fish, and kill and eat what I (legally) catch. And if I knew how to shoot, I'd gladly join folks on a game bird hunt.

Did PETA similarly criticize Dick Cheney for participating in organized hunts, or were they afraid of that man (as most of us still are)?