Change the Law to Protect Deer from Hunters during Rutting Season

We, the petitioners ask that the law be changed to protect Deer during the vital rutting season.

A giant red stag, thought to have been the biggest wild land animal in the UK, has been shot dead.

The creature, named the Exmoor Emperor, weighed more than 135kg (300lb) and stood nearly 2.75m (9ft) tall. It was killed in the middle of the annual rut.

A witness reported hearing two shots before seeing the stag's body near Rackenford, north Devon. The carcass was removed soon after.

A licensed hunter rather than poacher is thought to have killed Emperor.

  Emperor was thought to have been in good health

Some deer experts say wild red stags should be protected during the mating season.

Red deer stags are the biggest indigenous land animal left in the UK.

The Exmoor Emperor was given its name by photographer Richard Austin, who said he was not surprised at the shooting.

He said: "With a set of antlers that this deer had, it was going to kill him in the end.

"Growing that big and that huge and that magnificent, he was a definite target."

The witness who saw the stag's body said they recognised it as being the Exmoor Emperor as it was being taken away.

Peter Donnelly, an Exmoor-based deer management expert, said it was a disgrace the animal, which is believed to have been 10 to 12 years old, had been shot during the mating season.

"It could be that he didn't get a chance to rut properly this year, therefore his genes have not been passed on this time round," he said.

"The poor things should be left alone during the rut, not harried from pillar to post. If we care about deer we should maintain a standard and stop all persecution during this important time of the year."

We, the undersigned, ask that the UK laws pertaining to the hunting of deer be changed to provide protection during the vital rutting season. Deer are at their most vulnerable during the mating season and deserve our protection from hunters.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.
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