| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Jam Lady |
Exmoor Emperor Stag Killedhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-11624253Apparently for a trophy. I don't know anything about deer hunting in the UK but from this article it seems that this is considered a rich man's sport & readers comments seem uniformly negative / anti-hunting. |
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| Brownbear |
It wasn't me.
People think of it as a toff thing - this more likely went to some nasty little suburban turd who wants to play at Laird. Poor management to leave the remains out in the open near a road, mind you. Millions of chavs will now weep for the Emperor as they stuff chicken nuggets into their halfwitted faces on the sofa tonight. |
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| sean |
I don't know much about it, though I'm assuming that someone paid for the stalking rights or whatever the legal term is.
I have no problem with deer being culled. It seems a bit mean to do it in the rutting season though. |
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| Brownbear |
It now turns out that the remains weren't left by the road but were winched onto a pickup and removed. The animal was culled and the head may or may not have been taken as a trophy, a trophy fee may or may not have been paid.
Slow news day, I suppose. |
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| OP |
It definitely was a slow news day. It must have been one of the lead items on the BBC R4 Today programme at 6am yesterday, which given everything else that is going on at the moment seemed an unusual choice of story. According to the BBC the animal was 12 years old, and one of the complaints was that it had not had a chance to pass on its genes. I don't know much about deer, but I am guessing that a 12-year stag has had plenty of time to do that? Presumably its younger male rivals will not be mourning its passing. | ||
| Brownbear |
Given that it's saved them the trouble of fighting it until it drags itself off alone, probably not. And it will prevent too much inbreeding, as dominant stags will mate with their own progeny, and with the results of that mating. A stag wouldn't have made it to that age if we still had wolves and bear. |
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| crofter |
The daily mail have now brought it back to life... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1324297/Exmoor-Emperor-stag-mystery-deepens-locals-claim-sighting-beast-village.html |
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| Bernie66 |
http://www.basc.org.uk/en/media/pressreleases.cfm/prid/5293C1A8-AE81-482A-90C057A7CF0FFAAD | ||
| Brownbear |
I shoot on a farm in Rackenford, I have seen a huge stag a couple of times but never considered shooting it. I prefer to thin the prickets and the hinds. | ||
| Behemoth |
The discussion later in the programme came to a consensus that culling was OK, nothing wrong was done but it might have been fairer to wait a few weeks and let him have one more trip park. |
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| OP |
Or perhaps it was fairer to cull this one now, and give the new generation of males a better chance? It was difficult to see why this news item featured so prominently on the R4 early news, but clearly it has invoked massive public interest! You would have thought culling MP's was more the style of the Today programme. |
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| Hairyloon |
Auction off the stalking & trophy rights for that and we might clear the national debt. It would be OK to cull the whole herd there wouldn't it? |
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| Calli |
Poachers obviously having a go here tonight 
At the end of the drive - I have horses out???? There is now an injured deer ( red/fallow take a guess) they followed it down the lane in a 4x4 with spotlight on the cab, after one very loud shot. I guess they didn't know this place is inhabited ( seriously remote  )
All the dogs kicked off big time so switched on all the lights and opened curtains and watched the rear view lights vanish 
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| Brownbear |
And what a big surprise - apparently the 'story' was broken by none other then 'Johnny Kingdom', publicity-hungry Irish animal sentimentalist, who once imprisoned a three-legged deer in a pen, named it 'Bambi' and kept it as a pet.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/8096989/Was-the-Emperor-of-Exmoors-death-quite-what-it-seemed.html |
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| Penny Outskirts |
Gah!! Bloody people 
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| sean |
What's his irishness got to do with anything?
I'm quite impressed by the way that Charles Moore manages to conclude that it's all the Labour party's fault. |
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| Brownbear |
Nothing, though he plays it up like a bloke voicing a leprechaun in an American movie. I mentioned it as an aide memoire for anyone who might have glimpsed him on the telly givin it large wit de auld Bambis, so oi did, begorrah and diddle-de-dee. |
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| dan1 |
He's not Irish. He's got a very broad Exmoor accent |