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.
