Emperor of Exmoor: reports of his demise may be exaggerated, say locals

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Giant red stag's territory was 10 miles north of reported shooting site in Devon and, sceptics point out, there's still no body

Adam Gabbatt and Peter Walker
Thursday October 28 2010 16.27 BST

The reported demise of the Emperor of Exmoor, the celebrated red stag which graced the Devon countryside for more than a decade, came with several mysteries attached, not least who shot Britain's largest land wild animal, where they did it and what happened to the body.

Now has come another twist: the Emperor might not be dead after all.

Some locals, witnessing the continued failure of dozens of reporters and TV crews to pin down details of the demise of the 2.75-metre (9ft), 135kg (300lb) beast, much less the whereabouts of his carcass, are taking a sceptical eye to the saga. They have questioned the reported location of the shooting by an unnamed but licensed hunter, given variously as close to the A361 Tiverton to Barnstaple road or, more specifically, near the village of Rackenford. Several have said the stag was never seen there but instead spent its time a good 10 miles further north, inside Exmoor national park.

"I smell a rat," said one farm owner who, with several other locals, has grown tired of the media interest and asked not to be named. "Without evidence anyone can say they shot anything. I could say I shot an elephant, and who's going to say no? There's someone I've spoken to who lives up on Exmoor who's certain he's still around." She added: "As far as I know he's never been seen in this area. He tends to be seen in the Winsford area, that's where people look out for him, and stalkers look out for him too. Because he's such an icon they don't want him killed, more than anybody else."



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/oct/28/exmoor-emperor-shooting-mystery

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The Emperor of Exmoor guards a pair of female deer at the start of
this autumn's mating season.


Map of Devon - Exmoor is the darker area at the top

[MellowDem]

1. Sceptics and Skeptics...

Sceptic has a very different meaning in the US....

[Ozymanithrax]

2. A real hunter would have taken the body,

dressed it,
and cut him up for food, then mounted that rack.

So no body does not mean the Emperorer is still with us.

[Cleita]

3. Well the rack would be proof.

Keep an eye out for the mounted rack Brits. Few bucks live long enough to grow an impressive rack like that.

[Turborama]

4. According to the woman they interviewed, he's so big it would have taken 6 men and a truck

Also, I've been to that part of Devon and Rackenford is quite far from Withypool and it would have to travel over a major highway to get there, as can be seen in the map.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. He looks like he's posing for a beer label