Poachers may have killed more than 20 deer, while others could still be roaming around injured, on farmland near Bewdley.
A distraught conservationist has revealed baby deer as young as three or four weeks old and a pregnant doe are among the animals which were shot at the weekend.
Initially it was reported that 15 animals had died.
But now Ed Brown, chairman of the Wyre Forest Deer Management Society, who helped recover the carcasses of 15 deer which had been shot on farmland near Kinlet, Bewdley says a gang of poachers could have “potentially killed at least 20”.
Not one carcass has been butchered. If this is 'poaching', it's a bloody strange sort of poaching!
PC Su Goddard, from West Mercia Police, wildlife officer for North Worcestershire, said: "We have launched a thorough enquiry into this incident and would appeal for anyone with information to contact us.
"At this time, we believe there is no wider risk to the public."
Strange thing to say...?
Probably someone rather like my good self who is sick and tired of the out of control deer population eating everything in their garden and decided to cull the buggers.
ReplyDeleteVery odd.
ReplyDeleteFirst point, it is possible to kill loads of deer in one place - at night they get transfixed by a spotlight, and you could probably shoot a whole herd one at a time without the others running off. Which is highly illegal - game law says that deer can only be stalked in daylight. But if you were a poacher doing that a) you bleed them all quickly so the meat didn't spoil and b) you'd butcher some at least to take away with you.
If none of the animals shot were bled or butchered at all, then it can't be poachers. Which leaves either a disgruntled landowner (as wiggia suggests) who's had enough of a herd of deer eating his crops (which is possible - deer are breeding like weeds and need thinning out, I'm doing exactly that on my place, only properly with a licenced deer stalker), or something more sinister - someone who either gets a kick from shooting things, or wanted to practise shooting live targets.........
"Probably someone rather like my good self who is sick and tired of the out of control deer population eating everything in their garden and decided to cull the buggers."
ReplyDeleteWouldn't someone wait in their garden for them, rather than go out into the surrounding area?
"...something more sinister - someone who either gets a kick from shooting things, or wanted to practise shooting live targets......"
I suspect that that's the thought that prompted the police statement.