This fox never stood a chance when it had a brush with the guns at Prince Philip’s shooting party yesterday, writes Maurice Chittenden.

First it was blasted by one of eight people taking part in the shoot on the Sandringham estate. Then, as it lay wounded, it raised itself to snarl at a gundog, so a gamekeeper beat it over the head with a flag used to signal to the beaters. Still not sure whether the fox was dead, the gamekeeper was spotted doing the unspeakable to the uneatable, appearing to stamp on it before dragging it into the undergrowth.

 

The prince, whose shooting parties bag up to 7,000 pheasants a season, looked on nonchalantly, shotgun across his arm. Philip, 85, was previously thought to have given up shooting because of failing eyesight.

 

The fox’s demise, although legal, is more likely to cause a ballyhoo among city dwellers. In 2004 the Queen was criticised by animal rights campaigners after taking a wounded pheasant from a gun dog’s jaws and beating it with her walking stick until dead. In 2000, she was photographed wringing the neck of a badly injured bird at Sandringham.

 

Omg that is terrible. I don't agree with hunting of any kind.

Never knew the queen did that, it's horrible.

The best form of pest control for me would be shooting the royal family

 

Zara Phillips can live though as she is good looking ;)

That's so wrong, to kill an animal just to kill it?!?

 

Maybe the queen was putting the bird out of it's misery? I dunno, I would agree with it if the bird was close to death...Maybe not in that fashion mind you.

Edited January 21, 200718 yr by Tyler

This doesn't surprise me in the least where the Royal Family are concerned.This kind of behaviour makes me sick.