Prince William goes 'deer culling' in Balmoral

[vera99]

What's wrong with these people? I can maybe understand the need for occasional culling (though it is most often for the human agency not a concern for the animal) but to go out and enjoy stalking these magnificent creatures get them in the sights of your guns and kill them - that's just sick.

PS. King Charles was a big fan of fox hunting

AIBU? - Yes this is actual nature conservation activity and William is showing concern and leadership in participating in the shooting.

YANBU? - No this is a sick perverted hobby of the super-rich who glory in the pleasure killing of defenceless animals.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11300807/Prince-Wales-visits-Balmoral-goes-deer-stalking-Scotland-trip-Queens-funeral.html

"Deer stalking is the act of culling ageing stags that would otherwise die in the winter, with William shooting his first when he was 14 years old, something that is said to have left him delighted at the time.
The activity, which has been a shared passion among generations of the Royal Family, was encouraged by William's father King Charles III, while Princess Diana used to jokingly call him 'my killer Wales'.
William is not thought to have been joined in Scotland by his wife Catherine, who is herself a keen markswoman, and their children. A spokesman for Kensington Palace declined to comment."

An ethical viewpoint

Anyone who likes murdering innocent animals for pleasure is a sick bastard.

I’ve lived in the country for much of my life, and would never support this. I pounce briefly tutored for a toff family…until I discovered they were into hunting.

Saboteurs regularly scared the fuck out of them by threatening to burn down their house. If they felt an ounce of fear those poor animals did, then good.

And how do you know the forest manager doesn’t enjoy it? Given that seems to be the criteria for whether someone shouldn’t be allowed to cull animals?

I’d really like to know what OP thinks of @Notimetothink ’s comment about reintroducing apex predators. You don’t want humans to cull deer, but deer must be culled for a healthy environment cycle, and the apex predators are who used to do it. This “vegan mag” claim that “only” 88% of culled deer are experiencing a perfectly humane death from a single bullet (and much of the other 12% may be killed relatively quickly by a follow-up)… well, if we reintroduce apex predators, that number goes down to 0% humane deaths. But no more hunting and it’s all natural so that IS what you want? Also, you DO realize GonaCon (this deer birth control vegans are so happy about) is specified as a restricted use PESTICIDE? You would be poisoning the whole system. The hormones will enter the ground, the watershed, etc. Then again, this whole thing is going a bit off kilter - several people saw “deer culling,” have come on to discuss both sides rationally, only to find an OP frothing about fox hunting, who refuses to even understand why the two things aren’t the same. Eh, I guess to a (vegan) hammer, the whole world is a nail.

YANBU. Absolutely vile behaviour. If it was teenage boys with black hoodies and balaclavas on there would be uproar.

Nature doesn't need our help if there are apex predators.

Which is why we need to reintroduce apex predators.

That is the picture of a pest.

She will happily rip to pieces various small cute and fluffy creatures. She won't think twice about doing it.

I understand the need for a cull, but why not leave it to the specialists? Why does he need to go up there? Because he likes it, that’s why. You can’t tell me he is the best marksman in Scotland.

Vile people.

Lovely picture.

But not a deer. Urban foxes in London and Essex have little overlap with deer culling on estates in north east Scotland.

Also somewhat ironic you’ve named her after a Greek warrior who purportedly slaughtered many people on the battlefield, often by mortally wounding them first to weaken them.

Can all the people who can't see the difference between fox hunting / dog fighting and deer culling please admit to being vegan ? Just so we have a clearer idea of where you are coming from

Thanks for the Lynx Trust link - I had no idea there was already work ongoing to make this a reality, I thought it was just me having romantic dreams of a coast-to-coast northern forest full of bears, wolves and bog witches.

Lynx are so beautiful. If they get reintroduced in my lifetime I'd be thrilled. Royals can take up croquet or crochet or something when their cull becomes redundant due to returning ecosystem health.

Yes it does @IncompleteSenten . Do you understand the absolute mess that nature is in? It NUST have management, from woodlands to meadows to animals themselves. Why? Because years ago humans interfered. They introduced and still introduce alien species that are causing mass havoc and destroying all our native wildlife. The balance is upset and it’s a disaster. Biodiversity is at an all time low.

most bloodsport are unnecessary, but deer culling isn’t. It’s needed. Grey squirrels culling is needed otherwise they destroy acres of oak forests. Then NOTHING lives. You’re thinking about cute animals being shot like Bambi, but not thinking about the hundreds, thousands of species that suffer and die when we allow species whose numbers have become unbalanced due to our interference to Goni checked. It’s because of our doing that we need to intervene.

Do your research. Thousands of years of chaos caused by humans and nature is paying a heavy, heavy price. We have to manage nature to protect it. Doing nothing will leave it absolutely screwed

I used to go out with a gamekeeper. You don’t know wtf you’re going on about most of you. It’s a necessary thing.

I don't think estates should be allowed to sell stalking rights as you can't control the quality of the client ( just the meat )

Deer need culling. We have interfered with their habitat so they have no natural predators. Frankly I don't care who does it, as long as it gets done.

And slow cooked venison casserole is delicious.

There would be lots and lots of custodial sentences, but it’s fine in tweed apparently

I wish people would educat themselves. If you feel strongly about deer culling then please read the facts:

bds.org.uk/information-advice/issues-with-deer/why-manage-deer/

@Kissingfrogs25 exactly. I just can't get my head around it

Maybe but there is culling and then there is sport. Huge difference

I knew OP would be in Southern England.

Sadly I have to go out and I'm already more up to speed with deer issues than I was when I started this thread. But there are seemingly alternatives and the post is specifically about William doing this as the future King - if he continues to pursue that without explanation or listening to alternative solutions then a good proportion of the population will draw their own conclusions, informed or not. Some of you ardent royalists should ponder that if they wish to see the continuation of the institution.

Oh come on, that we do know. He's hardly going to do it if it isn't fun. It's not on the compulsory to do list, like shaking hands and naming community centres.

I'm not a vegan so would be hypercritical to be outraged about killing organically raised animals when factory farming exists.

More of the deer would die if left unsupported during the winter. I can't get excited about it myself.

There is a lot of work ongoing! A lot of people are really passionate about this.

Human intervention via culling is not a sustainable solution and never will be. The estates have vested interests in maintaining high deer populations because it makes them money. Same with grouse moors.

If you are going to add pheasant to that list or anything being shot you might want consider the level of lead from the bullets you are consuming

www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/pheasant-meat-sold-for-food-found-to-contain-many-tiny-shards-of-toxic-lead

Not so delicious when you consider the toxicity of lead especially to children and pregnant women.

You need much more education and far less emotion OP.