Gang of poachers slay 15 deer in forest

FIFTEEN deer including fawns and a heavily pregnant doe were shot and left in a field in a suspected poaching incident in a Worcestershire nature reserve.

Police are investigating the ‘carnage’ in a meadow on the edge of the Wyre Forest early on Saturday morning and are examining bullets removed from four of the slain beasts.

Edward Brown, chairman of the Wyre Forest Deer Management Society, said it was the worst in a spate of shootings at the forest in recent years.

He added rangers had a ‘very good idea’ who might be responsible and claimed investigators were looking into the possible involvement of a local businessman.

A witness reported seeing a ‘gang’ around the forest on Saturday who may have been disturbed while trying to steal meat.

Mr Brown said the animals were left ‘completely intact’, adding: ‘Usually they take the carcasses with them. The meat in the incident could easily be worth £1,000, even from a back-street game dealer.

‘I think this time they have been disturbed and just decided to leave without the animals. They were just lying in the field.’

Mr Brown, who reported the incident to police, said: ‘We’ve witnessed fawns coming out of the forest looking for their mothers, totally distressed. It’s unbelievable – it’s carnage here. I’ve never seen anything like it.’

He added: ‘One of the deer was ready to give birth. When I cut her open [to look for a bullet to be used in evidence] I could see that the female fawn had already turned into her forward-facing position, ready to come out.’

Of the 15 carcasses, three were fawns that were only around a month old.

Mr Brown said: ‘Even if they were shooting for meat, why shoot a fawn? There’s nothing on it – nobody’s going to want that.

‘I have lived in this area all of my life and been chairman for 25 years. This is the worst incident of its type that we have come across, although it’s possible more deer have been taken in the past without us realising.’

The carcasses were removed and taken to a chiller at a Forestry Commission compound where the bullets were recovered. West Mercia Police confirmed it was investigating the incident at Kinlet near the Shropshire-Worcestershire border.

‘Fawns totally distressed’