Lisbon, Dec 25 (IANS): Spanish hunters have slaughtered a total of 540 deer and wild boar in Portugal after which they posed for photos with the carcasses, leading to authorities in Lisbon to launch a probe into the hunt, the media reported.

In a report published on Thursday, the Daily Mail newspaper said that the hunt took place on the private Torre Bela estate in Azambuja, Lisbon district, adding that most of the area's deer were now believed to have died.

The macabre photos that have gone viral on social media show carcasses lined up, while the 16 hunters grin and laugh in the background.

Reacting to the development, Portuguese Environment Minister Joao Fernandes said the "vile environmental crime" that should be prosecuted.

"The reports and news about the indiscriminate slaughter of animals have nothing to do with hunting, understood as a practice that can contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity and ecosystems," the Daily Mail reported quoted the Minister as saying in a statement.

The country's Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) has launched the probe into the hunt which is believed to have taken place some time last week.

Azambuja municipal authorities were also trying to find the destination of the dead animals, the Daily Mail report added.