Kate Middleton and Prince William by John Stillwell Getty Images

PETA seems to not be adverse to doing things like exploiting women’s sexuality to get their message across, and sticking their noses into everyone else’s business whenever they can. So, it is not surprising that the group would stick their nose into the business of the British royal family.

PETA is upset that Prince William has gifted some 250 pheasants, ducks and partridges to his younger brother, Prince Harry, for a shoot at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate that is set to celebrate the prince’s 27th birthday. This is in keeping with a centuries-long British tradition of hunting.

PETA, of course, does not care for hunting. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, though, did not appeal to Prince William or Prince Henry, but rather, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate. That would be the wife of Prince William. Newkirk wrote:

“We understand that Prince William has given a gift of ‘game birds’ to Prince Harry for his birthday. There is no honour in buying birds and reducing them, as if they were clay pigeons, to shooting targets. Those who aren’t killed outright are often dispatched by having their necks wrung, which does not cause an instant or painless death.

May I ask you to use your influence on the Princes and ask them to reconsider this gift? You are in a unique position to be able to wield considerable influence over whether people everywhere view animals and their place in our world with kindness or blithely ignore their suffering.

Please ask the Princes to open their hearts to the suffering of birds casually used as skeet and make the compassionate decision not to kill for fun. By canceling the planned ‘day’s sport’ in favor of a more enlightened, fitting and humane pursuit, they will win hearts and commendations and spare hundreds of birds a terrifying end, making it clear that the monarchy is in tune with the social movement against cruelty to animals.”

Hunting for sport with no intention of eating the animals killed tends to seem very cruel while hunting for food is not, unless one happens to be PETA. Still, PETA may have had more success had they contacted Prince William. In 2008, they contacted Prince Charles about buying foie gras, and he stopped buying it and urged the royal chefs to do the same.

So far, the Duchess of Cambridge has not responded to their letter.

Via Huffington Post.