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Home / Lifestyle

Prince William slammed by animal rights activists for taking George on hunting trip

NZ Herald
2 Sep, 2020 12:20 AM3 mins to read

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Prince William has come under fire for taking his son George along on a grouse hunt. Photo / Getty Images

Prince William has come under fire for taking his son George along on a grouse hunt. Photo / Getty Images

Prince William has been slammed by animal rights activists for letting his son George witness "casual killing" on a grouse hunt.

The Duke of Cambridge, 38, took his 7-year-old son along on the shoot during a family holiday in Scotland last weekend, according to the Daily Mail.

Prince George spent the morning watching his father and other senior royals killing birds in Corgaff, not far from Balmoral.

It isn't the first time the prince has watched shooting from the sidelines, as hunting is one of the country sports royals traditionally enjoy.

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But animal rights group PETA has protested the move, saying that witnessing the sport could "damage a child's psyche" and "desensitise George to the suffering of animals".

PETA director Mimi Bekhechi said few people in 2020 viewed shooting for sport as "anything other than a violent perversion".

"For a child to be compelled to witness such casual killing – and by a parent he looks up to, no less – is potentially as harmful to his or her psyche as it is to the bird's very life.

"It can desensitise children to the suffering of animals – which is cause for concern, given the well-established link between cruelty to animals in childhood and antisocial behaviour in adulthood – and could give George nightmares.

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"To help him grow into a responsible, compassionate leader, his parents must teach him respect for all living beings."

Both William and Harry have hunted from a young age, and were so enthusiastic that their mum Diana jokingly called them her "Killer Whales".

Hunting and shooting is a traditional activity in the royal family. Photo / Getty Images
Hunting and shooting is a traditional activity in the royal family. Photo / Getty Images

But Harry has hunted much less frequently since meeting Meghan, as the duchess is known not to approve.

It's believed that Kate accompanied William and George on Saturday, leaving Charlotte, 5, and Louis, 2, at their lodgings. Kensington Palace declined to comment.

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Royals

Comment: Big problem with Meghan's Netflix deal

04 Sep 06:11 AM

The Royal Family has a long history of the sport, though the Queen has made an effort in recent years to prevent them being photographed while taking part.

It's an especially fine line for Prince William, who balances his passion for hunting with his work on high-profile conservation campaigns.

He faced heavy criticism in 2014 for going on a boar hunting trip with Harry on the Duke of Westminster's Spanish estate just days ahead of joining a campaign against poaching and the illegal wildlife trade.

However, none of the animals they killed were protected species. And Kensington Palace officials have always defended William, saying that legal private shooting and hunting is very different from the illegal wildlife trade he is taking steps to combat.

William's United For Wildlife campaign has been praised for its work to protect endangered species like rhinos, tigers, elephants and pangolins.

Even Kate has been snapped with a gun in her hands over the years shooting grouse and pheasants, while she and her parents Michael and Carole Middleton have learned to stalk deer on the Queen's Scottish estate.

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