Andy Murray’s Cromlix hotel removes hunting activities for guests following pressure from animal rights campaigners

Pressure group Peta wrote to the animal loving Wimbledon champion appealing for him to show compassion to the Scottish wildlife

Andy Murray of Great Britain acknowledgese the fans after winning his Gentlemen's Singles first round match against David Goffin of Belgium on day one of the Wimbledon

(Getty Images)

Andy Murray’s luxury hotel has removed all references to hunting from its website after the tennis ace came under fire from animal rights campaigners.

Pressure group Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) wrote to the defending Wimbledon champion complaining that hunting was being promoted by his Dunblane property, the Cromlix Hotel, as a possible activity that guests could take part in.

Peta campaign co-ordinator Kirsty Henderson penned the letter to Murray, which applauded his decision to remove foie gras (a French patê made by force-feeding ducks or geese) from the hotel’s restaurant, which is run by acclaimed French chef Albert Roux. But it condemned the promotion of killing animals as a sporting pursuit.

"We know how much of an animal lover you are, so we were concerned to learn that the Cromlix hotel is currently promoting hunting as a local activity to its patrons," she wrote.

"I'm sure that you - as a world-class athlete - agree that a true sport is one in which all participants are willing.

"The idea of hunting cats and dogs, such as your beloved Maggie May and Rusty, would rightly make most of us sick, and yet the animals listed on the Cromlix website, alongside the best times of year to kill them, have exactly the same capacity to feel pain and suffer."

A spokesperson for Murray has confirmed to The Independent that all mentions of hunting have been deleted. They further added that no hunting has ever taken place on the hotel grounds.

Peta has since expressed their delight at Murray’s decision.

"True sports involve competition and fair play between two consenting parties, something that can’t be said for the despicable individuals who torment and kill unwilling participants for fun," says Peta UK Associate Director Mimi Bekhechi.

"Hunters would be arrested if their victims were cats or dogs, even though deer, pheasants and other animals experience fear and pain, just as all animals do."

The £1.8 million sprawling Victorian hotel was launched on 1 April after an extensive refurbishment.

The Cromlix hit a snag in its opening week, when TripAdvisor announced they’d launched in investigation into incentivising after six five star reviews of the Kinbuck, Perthshire residence appeared online almost a week before its opening night.

However the site later admitted that, upon completing its probe, the Cromlix Hotel had in fact met its guidelines.