Madonna Blasted for Pheasant Farming  9/4/06

Madonna has enraged animal rights groups by importing baby pheasant chicks to her country estate in England so they can mature in time for the shooting season.

The Material Girl star and her husband Guy Ritchie own a sprawling property in the west of England will charge customers up to #10,000 a day for the privilege of shooting the birds once the season starts on 1 October (06).

Andrew Tyler, director of Animal Aid, says, "Shame on Madonna. This is not in harmony with nature. It is the production of factory birds to provide a live shooting gallery."

A spokesman for Madonna says, "We can confirm that the estate got 1,000 birds form France but we won't be doing it again."