STAG HUNTING
, [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] SIR,—Your correspondent, Mr. L. L. Batten, knows what he writes about, which, I venture to suggest, is more than some people who write. on this subject do. Mr. A. T. Mond:-Mason states that a sure sign of physical distress is when a stag hangs his tongue out from an open mouth.
As a matter of fact, a stag (like dog). opens his mouth, and hangs his tongue out when he-gallops. When a stag is near the end of his tether he draws his tongue back and closes his mouth.
The natural end of every wikl animal .is to be hunted and killed by some other animal. The only, alternative is death from starvation and thirst when he becomes too old and feeble to go in search of food and water. Since the exter- mination of wolves the stag has AO natural enemies and exists only on sufferance. At _present the wild deer and foxes live the most sheltered And -happy lives of any of our native fauna. . - Abolish hunting and every man's hand will be against them. They will be shot at, trapped, and caught in wire snares like unfortunate rabbits are to-day. The land of the wild deer extends roughly from Barnstaple to Bridgwater, and practically the whole of it is farmed and carries stock— Exmoor sheep, cattle and ponies. The idea of wiring it all in for deer is ridiculous.
Of course, a small piece of the moor could be fenced in for some deer who would probably starve to death or be buried in snowdrifts in, the winter. I should not envy the man whose duty it was to dig out and rescue the stags. It is quite a job to get out a horned Exmoor sheep. Many people seem to have lost all sense of proportion. About 200 deer are killed every year in a perfectly natural and humane way. In the same period about 7,000 human beings are killed and tens of thousands injured on our roads, not to mention a huge number of animals.
A forest fire will burn to death innumerable rabbits, small animals, nestlings, birds, &c.,. but I've never heard of anyone being prosecuted for cruelty on that account. It is only the hunter who is accused of barbarity. I could write sheets of arguments in support of hunting, but having recently broken my one remaining arm (the left) I find writing difficult.
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