Giant stag killed by poachers

One of the country's most majestic stags, which was set to rival the famous Exmoor Emperor, has been shot dead illegally by poachers.

The impressive young animal - dubbed the Goodleigh Giant - was shot in north Devon.

 Photo: SWNS

He was expected to become one of the biggest stags in the country when fully mature because he already had an impressive 19 points on its antlers - compared to The Emperor's 14.

The stag had become less wary as the rutting season approached and local landowners tried to keep him a secret for fear of trophy hunters tracking him down.

But rumour of the 200lb animal's presence spread and poachers descended on the region to get a glimpse or a shot at the stag, which would fetch thousands of pounds on the black market.

The death follows a series of stag slayings in the area as poachers target the impressive animals as trophies.

News of the animals' demise also comes almost a year to the day after the country's largest wild animal - the 300lb 9ft Exmoor Emperor was killed.

Experts branded the slaying as ''unnecessary'' and ''reprehensible''.

Peter Green, of Shirwell, near Barnstaple is veterinary advisor to the British Deer Society as well as the Royal parks of London and National Trust.

He said: ''Stags are removed either because they are poorer quality younger animals or when they become older and are no longer in their prime.

''There is nothing wrong with the shooting of a mature stag that is older and in decline, since he will already have left his genes in the population and he will no longer be able to compete with the more vigorous stags that are a year or two younger than him.

''There is therefore a legitimate place for the trophy shooting of older stags that have started to go back in condition and dominance, but the indiscriminate shooting of mature stags simply for trophies is reprehensible.''

Stags can only be shot legally during daylight hours by licenced people from August 1 to April 30 and there are strict controls upon the calibre minimum of rifle that can be used, so that deer are not wounded by inappropriate bullets.

Mr Green said he has previously chased hunters with rifles after they were spotted on his farmyard.
He added: ''On Monday October 17 the 19 point stag was found dead on private land locally.

''I examined the stag post-mortem to recover forensic material and found that he had been shot two or three times in the back and in the belly. He had undoubtedly suffered considerably from these wounds before dying slowly.

''He had travelled some distance from where he had been holding his hinds and had obviously managed to flee from the poachers, who had clearly taken indiscriminate potshots at him as he ran away.

''This was the very worst of cruel, senseless deer poaching.

''The stag was not an elderly animal and was not past his prime. He would have continued to improve in size and spectacle and would probably have had even better antlers next year.

''He had probably mated with very few hinds this season, as the rut is barely under way.

''Deer poaching is not just a slightly questionable countryside activity undertaken by wily countrymen steeped woodcraft and field skills, who take the occasional deer for the pot.

''It is a vicious and violent crime, committed by thugs with no thought of animal welfare or human safety.

''I am appalled and distressed by such killing. Not only is it cruel and illegal, but also it makes no sense for the long-term quality of the local deer.

''Every farmer knows that herds are improved by keeping the best ram or the best bull for breeding, yet the best deer are at greatest risk of being shot because of the emphasis upon trophies.

''The venison from rutting stags is poor in both taste and texture, it seems that the poachers were simply after the head of the stag to hang a trophy on a wall.

''In the event, all they achieved was the painful and lingering death of a fine animal and they went away empty-handed.''

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8852698/Giant-stag-killed-by-poachers.html

Stag tries to impress the ladies with grass wig

Stags often go to great lengths to attract a female - but it moss have been love for one male who slipped on a grass wig to impress potential mates.
The stag was seem wandering alone for days in Richmond Park before it dived into a lake and came out with a grassy mop resting between its antlers.
After letting out a mating call he emerged from the water to find two females waiting for him.
Unfortunately, he also attracted the attention of another stag, who he had to fight off before strolling away with the two females in tow.
The incident was witnessed by keen photographer Robert Piper, 55, who couldn't believe his eyes as the extraordinary events unfolded.
He told the Daily Mail: 'Sometimes the stags adorn themselves with bracken to impress the females - and it must somehow strike a chord.
'But the head gear can also attract other stags and on occasions will end up with a fight exactly like what happened here.
'This stag did find a female but keeping her was another matter because other stags became jealous and tried to fight him.
'But he fought them off and eventually had two deer following him around.'

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/879771-stag-tries-to-impress-the-ladies-with-grass-wig#ixzz1btEXzLpS

Emperor of Exmoor: reports of his demise may be exaggerated, say locals

The reported demise of the Emperor of Exmoor, the celebrated red stag which graced the Devon countryside for more than a decade, came with several mysteries attached, not least who shot Britain's largest land wild animal, where they did it and what happened to the body.


Now has come another twist: the Emperor might not be dead after all.

Some locals, witnessing the continued failure of dozens of reporters and TV crews to pin down details of the demise of the 2.75-metre (9ft), 135kg (300lb) beast, much less the whereabouts of his carcass, are taking a sceptical eye to the saga.

They have questioned the reported location of the shooting by an unnamed but licensed hunter, given variously as close to the A361 Tiverton to Barnstaple road or, more specifically, near the village of Rackenford.

Several have said the stag was never seen there but instead spent its time a good 10 miles further north, inside Exmoor national park.

"I smell a rat," said one farm owner who, with several other locals, has grown tired of the media interest and asked not to be named. "Without evidence anyone can say they shot anything. I could say I shot an elephant, and who's going to say no? There's someone I've spoken to who lives up on Exmoor who's certain he's still around."

She added: "As far as I know he's never been seen in this area. He tends to be seen in the Winsford area, that's where people look out for him, and stalkers look out for him too. Because he's such an icon they don't want him killed, more than anybody else."

Responding to reports that an eyewitness saw the Emperor's head being loaded into a vehicle, she said: "If he was the Emperor, you can't load a set of antlers that size into a normal car.

"And what would you do with the body? Believe you me, if he was as big as they say he is supposed to be, it would take about six men to lift him. They wouldn't have needed a car, they wouldn't even have needed a pick-up, they would have needed a truck."

Complicating matters is the fact that while the Emperor was Exmoor's undisputed behemoth, the area hosts several other giant stags which to the untutored eye look quite similar, said Clare O'Connor, a press officer at the Exmoor national park authority.

She confirmed that the Emperor was generally seen within the bounds of the park rather than where he reportedly met his end, but admitted Exmoor authorities were also in the dark. "It's possible that someone shot him and was put off by the media attention. But it's possible that it was another stag. Personally, I'd like to think he's still with us."


Adam Gabbatt and Peter Walker

guardian.co.uk,

Emperor of Exmoor: reports of his demise may be exaggerated, say locals

The reported demise of the Emperor of Exmoor, the celebrated red stag which graced the Devon countryside for more than a decade, came with several mysteries attached, not least who shot Britain's largest land wild animal, where they did it and what happened to the body.


Now has come another twist: the Emperor might not be dead after all.

Some locals, witnessing the continued failure of dozens of reporters and TV crews to pin down details of the demise of the 2.75-metre (9ft), 135kg (300lb) beast, much less the whereabouts of his carcass, are taking a sceptical eye to the saga.

They have questioned the reported location of the shooting by an unnamed but licensed hunter, given variously as close to the A361 Tiverton to Barnstaple road or, more specifically, near the village of Rackenford.

Several have said the stag was never seen there but instead spent its time a good 10 miles further north, inside Exmoor national park.

"I smell a rat," said one farm owner who, with several other locals, has grown tired of the media interest and asked not to be named. "Without evidence anyone can say they shot anything. I could say I shot an elephant, and who's going to say no? There's someone I've spoken to who lives up on Exmoor who's certain he's still around."

She added: "As far as I know he's never been seen in this area. He tends to be seen in the Winsford area, that's where people look out for him, and stalkers look out for him too. Because he's such an icon they don't want him killed, more than anybody else."

Responding to reports that an eyewitness saw the Emperor's head being loaded into a vehicle, she said: "If he was the Emperor, you can't load a set of antlers that size into a normal car.

"And what would you do with the body? Believe you me, if he was as big as they say he is supposed to be, it would take about six men to lift him. They wouldn't have needed a car, they wouldn't even have needed a pick-up, they would have needed a truck."

Complicating matters is the fact that while the Emperor was Exmoor's undisputed behemoth, the area hosts several other giant stags which to the untutored eye look quite similar, said Clare O'Connor, a press officer at the Exmoor national park authority.

She confirmed that the Emperor was generally seen within the bounds of the park rather than where he reportedly met his end, but admitted Exmoor authorities were also in the dark. "It's possible that someone shot him and was put off by the media attention. But it's possible that it was another stag. Personally, I'd like to think he's still with us."


Adam Gabbatt and Peter Walker

guardian.co.uk,

The Emperor is Dead

Britain's biggest wild animal - a red stag nicknamed 'The Emperor' - has been shot dead. The giant stag of southern Exmoor was killed close to a busy main road in the middle of the annual rut. The shooting - believed to have been carried out by rich sportsmen after a trophy head - has enraged deer experts and wildlife fans who believe wild red stags should be protected during the mating season.

Thought to be the largest wild animal in the British Isles, Emperor weighed around 300lb and stood at 9ft tall from the ground to the top of his antlers. He was believed to be about 12 years old.

Exmoor-based deer expert Peter Donnelly said: 'It's a disgrace that this magnificent animal has been shot at this time because it could be that he didn't get 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. 'There are people who are prepared to spend quite ridiculous sums of money to have a trophy on their wall,' added Mr Donnelly, from Dulverton, Somerset.

'People talk about £1,000 for a good head.' Mr Donnelly admitted older stags do need to be culled because they find it hard to survive after a certain age - but said The Emperor was not at that stage yet.
Red deer stags are the biggest indigenous land animal left in Britain and those in Exmoor are larger than the ones in Scotland because of their diet.

Earlier this month, wildlife photographer Richard Austin tracked The Emperor down - but kept his exact location a secret for fear of poachers. He said at the time: `I'm so glad he's come back again looking even bigger and better than last year. `He's so big none of the others are willing take him on.'
`The way he struts around thrashing his massive set of antlers into the hedges lets everyone know who's boss.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323496/The-Emperor-Exmoor-stag-shot-dead.html

The Emperor is Dead

Britain's biggest wild animal - a red stag nicknamed 'The Emperor' - has been shot dead. The giant stag of southern Exmoor was killed close to a busy main road in the middle of the annual rut. The shooting - believed to have been carried out by rich sportsmen after a trophy head - has enraged deer experts and wildlife fans who believe wild red stags should be protected during the mating season.

Thought to be the largest wild animal in the British Isles, Emperor weighed around 300lb and stood at 9ft tall from the ground to the top of his antlers. He was believed to be about 12 years old.

Exmoor-based deer expert Peter Donnelly said: 'It's a disgrace that this magnificent animal has been shot at this time because it could be that he didn't get 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. 'There are people who are prepared to spend quite ridiculous sums of money to have a trophy on their wall,' added Mr Donnelly, from Dulverton, Somerset.

'People talk about £1,000 for a good head.' Mr Donnelly admitted older stags do need to be culled because they find it hard to survive after a certain age - but said The Emperor was not at that stage yet.
Red deer stags are the biggest indigenous land animal left in Britain and those in Exmoor are larger than the ones in Scotland because of their diet.

Earlier this month, wildlife photographer Richard Austin tracked The Emperor down - but kept his exact location a secret for fear of poachers. He said at the time: `I'm so glad he's come back again looking even bigger and better than last year. `He's so big none of the others are willing take him on.'
`The way he struts around thrashing his massive set of antlers into the hedges lets everyone know who's boss.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323496/The-Emperor-Exmoor-stag-shot-dead.html