Royal row over Russian bear fate

A Russian official has claimed that a tame bear was plied with honey and vodka, before being shot dead by King Juan Carlos of Spain.

"It's not hunting - it's murder," Sergei Starostin, deputy head of Vologda region's hunting resources department told AFP news agency.

The bear - called Mitrofan - is said to have been taken from his home at a local holiday camp, put into a cage, and transported to the hunting grounds.

"Naturally, a heavy, drunken animal became an easy target. His Highness Juan Carlos took Mitrofan out with one shot," Mr Starostin said in the letter.