'Emperor of Exmoor' row reaches the Commons

The furore over whether the "Emperor of Exmoor" was alive or dead has reached Westminster, with lobbying MPs desperate to protect red deer from marksmen.

A total of ten back-bench MPs have signed an early day motion in the House of Commons to stop hunters preying on Britain's wild animals altogether.

The nine-foot Emperor was rumoured to have been gunned down by bounty hunters after a 1,250 price tag was placed on its head.

It disappeared more than two weeks ago in Rackenford, North Devon, during the annual rut.

Despite reports the beast is still roaming the moor, it has not been seen officially since.

MPs branded the hunting practice "senseless destruction" and urged the government to protect what they called the country's "special individual animals".

The motion, proposed by Bolton North Labour MP David Crausby, states: "That this House condemns the shooting of the stag known as the Exmoor Emperor; believes that this beautiful animal, standing nearly nine feet tall, should have been spared to live out his life as a magnificent example of the giant red stag, the biggest wild land animal in the UK; and calls on the government to protect special individual animals from this kind of senseless destruction."

The motion was backed by Labour and SDLP MPs.

The 12-year-old, 300lb Emperor is thought to have been killed by a licensed stalker.