Spanish king ousted from WWF over hunting row

The World Wildlife Fund’s branch in Spain has ousted King Juan Carlos as its honorary president — a title he had held since 1968 — after deciding his recent elephant hunting safari was incompatible with its goal of conserving endangered species.

The announcement was the latest in a string of bad news for Spain’s royal family, which has been embarrassed by legal and other scandals.

The fund said in a statement that “although such hunting is legal and regulated” it had “received many expressions of distress from its members and society in general”. It said members voted at a meeting in Madrid to “to get rid of the honorary president” by a substantial majority of 226 votes to 13.