Emperor Stag shot for antlers – who done it?

“Animal lovers mourn death of giant stag

Furor over death of 9-foot giant, biggest wild animal in British Isles

Video: Prized giant stag killed for antlers

Nature lovers are mourning the death of a red stag dubbed the Emperor of Exmoor — a 9-foot giant reported to be the biggest wild animal in the British Isles.

The Associated Press

updated 10/26/2010 10:54:21 AM ET 2010-10-26T14:54:21

Who shot the Emperor?

Nature lovers are mourning the death of a red stag dubbed the Emperor of Exmoor — a 9-foot giant reported to be the biggest wild animal in the British Isles. He was found dead soon after his picture appeared in the national press.

His size set him apart from the herd, but also made him prize prey for hunters willing to pay handsomely for such a majestic trophy.

"With a set of antlers such as this deer had, it was basically going to kill him in the end," said Richard Austin, the photographer whose images of the stag appeared in newspapers earlier this month — inevitably accompanied by the word "majestic."

"He was his own worst enemy, I suppose, Austin told the BBC Tuesday. "Growing that big and that huge and that magnificent, he was a definite target."

Death still a mystery
For the 12 years of his life, the Emperor roamed Exmoor in southwest England, a wild swathe of heath and woodland that has drawn hunters for 1,000 years.

Mystery surrounds his demise, reported by the local press and national media including the BBC. He is reported to have been shot two weeks ago near a main road linking the towns of Barnstaple and Tiverton.

Local people were speculating furiously Tuesday about the identity and nationality of the hunter: Was it an American, a European, or a wealthy Briton who saw the picture and decided he wanted those magnificent antlers on his wall?