Prince Charles' charity hunt

May 9, 2006, 14:07 GMT

Britain's Prince Charles has outraged animal rights activists - by organizing a charity deer hunt on his estate.

The Prince of Wales is set to invite four highest bidders at a community-based charity auction to his Balmoral estate, arm them with guns and allow them to prowl his land.

The successful bidder and three friends will be accompanied by professional deer hunters.

The offer came after volunteers at Ballater Charitable Chiefs charity approached the monarch.

The charity - which raises money for people with motor neuron disease and breast cancer - asked the royal if he would provide a prize for their annual charity auction.

Organizers received a reply, offering 'red deer stalking on the Balmoral estate at the Invitation of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales'.

Sandy Barklay, organizer of the event, told Britain's The Times newspaper: 'It's a major attraction to our day. I really don't know what it will go for, but we've put a reserve of £2,000 on it - but we'd expect it to go for significantly more than that. For Prince Charles to come back and give us a day of stalking for four people is just wonderful.'

However the generous offer has sparked outrage amongst animal rights activists.

Karen Chisholm, a representative of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) described the Royal Family as 'clearly out of touch with the compassionate majority of the country if they equate murder with giving.'

She added: 'If Prince Charles thinks that it's appropriate to raise money to help lives while taking the life of a terrified animal, it's highly ironic.'

Copyright 2006 BANG Media International