December 29, 2008

Prince Edward is being investigated for a possible case of animal cruelty, after photographs of him raising a walking cane at two dogs circulated across the Internet. (Pet Pulse Illustration by Tim Mattson)

LONDON -- Prince Edward has been placed under fire by various British animal welfare organizations, after he was photographed raising a stick at two dogs on a recent hunting excavation.

Prince Edward, the fourth child and third son of Queen Elizabeth II, was hunting for pheasant on Queen Elizabeth's private Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Saturday, alongside Prince William, the queen's husband Prince Phillip, and the royal family's second son, Prince Andrew.

The two black Labrador Retrievers accompanying the family on the outing engaged in a squabble over a pheasant that had been shot down.

Prince Edward, also known as the Earl of Essex, was photographed approaching the dogs with his 4-foot-long walking stick in a threatening manner. In the photographic sequence, he is then seen wielding the stick down onto one dog several times.

The photographs do not reveal any actual contact with the dog and the stick, but they do show the Prince chasing after one of the dogs, who appears to be cowering, after the two animals were separated.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is now investigating the incident, after it received several complaints from UK residents who saw the images.

"We'll treat it like any other allegation of cruelty," an unnamed spokeswoman told The Daily Express. "We will take a look and see whether there is anything in it."

A Buckingham Palace spokesman denied Prince Edward actually inflicted any harm on the dogs.

"I can confirm there were two dogs fighting over a pheasant. Prince Edward did separate them but no harm was done to either dog," the spokesman said.

"He broke up the fight with the dogs and pictures show him waving his stick around. We cannot confirm, however, whether he struck the dog."

An unnamed onlooker quoted by the UK Times Online said it "looked to me as if he hit the dog at least three times."

The spectator expressed uncertainty over the cited contact, however.

"But because it was such a long way away I cannot say that he definitely did [hit the dog]. He swung at the dog, then swung at it again, chasing it around the field. He was really angry."

According to The Telegraph, Prince Edward could be prosecuted if it is proven that he beat the dogs unnecessarily. Extreme cases of animal cruelty could result in fines up to 20,000 pounds, or nearly $30,000 U.S. dollars.

Though it is unclear how the case will play out -- let alone whether Prince Edward actually did beat the dogs -- animal welfare organizations across the nation have spoken out strongly against the act.

"People in blood sports tend to show a complete disregard for the welfare of animals," said Barry Hugillm, spokesman of the League Against Cruel Sports. "He has set a truly sickening example."

"It is an offense to cause an animal unnecessary suffering," said Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid. "Hitting a dog is a pathetic, cowardly and vicious act. It appear he had a royal tantrum."

Yet the Buckingham Palace spokeswoman maintained that no member of the royal family would knowingly injure an animal.

"They are a dog-loving family," the spokeswoman told The Daily Express. "The Queen, as everyone knows, has several dogs and so do many other members of the family."

This isn't the first time the royal family has fallen into some heat with animal welfare organizations.

In December 2005, Prince Edward was criticized after he battered an injured pigeon to death on a pheasant hunting excursion.

And in 2006, his father, Prince Phillip, drew ire from animal welfare organizations and activists when he clubbed a fox to death with a flagpole during another hunting trip at the Sandringham estate.

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Sky News, The Daily Express, UK Times Online and The Telegraph contributed to this article.