His size is what made the Emperor of Exmoor noteworthy. After all, the red deer was dubbed Britain’s largest wild beast, thanks to impressive proportions. The Emperor was 9 feet tall and weighed more than 300 pounds. Unfortunately, that massive size also made him a massive target for trophy hunters. The Emperor of Exmoor, Britain’s largest red deer, was shot to death by hunters two weeks ago at age 12.
The emperor was given his name by wildlife photographer Richard Austin, who is credited with capturing the beast on film. Unfortunately, future photographers will be denied that privilege, thanks to one of the sportsmen who flood Exmoor during rutting season to bag a trophy. Provided the Empereor was killed on private land with a legal firearm, no laws were broken in the hunt for the great beast. A group of hunters was seen in the area where the Emperor was found about the time he was shot dead.
“I’ve heard that a lot of stags have been shot this year, by whom I don’t know, but there’s always somebody who wants a trophy and will pay for the privilege of having it,” said Peter Donnelly, a retired deer forest and estate manager from Somerset. “There are people who will pay £1,000, and more, to get a particular trophy if their aim in life is to have a wall full of the biggest bloody trophies they can find in individual species, as opposed to conservation of a very lovely, attractive, resource.”
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