We chopped off Stanley the stag’s head, admits estate
...but he was already dead and it was only to stop people spiking themselves on antlers, they insist
‘We apologise for distress caused to local residents’
HIS death left villagers casting a suspicious eye at a Highland estate and promising to erect a lasting memorial to their beloved ‘pet’.
Residents of Bonawe, near Oban, Argyll, were devastated after Stanley, a friendly stag who has been a familiar sight in their gardens for years, was found beheaded and dumped near a loch on April 8.
Now, following a police investigation, a 1,600-acre shooting estate has issued an apology to villagers, denying killing the animal but admitting responsibility for cutting off its head, saying it was for safety reasons in case a member of the public was injured through contact with the antlers.
Yesterday a spokesman for the Bonawe Estate said that during a health and welfare check of the local wild deer herd, one animal which was struggling to climb a hill was shot by a worker.
As it was being taken away, the worker found another – thought to be Stanley – which, he claimed, had apparently died from natural causes.
Unable to move both deer at the same time, he decided to cut off the head of the second one and took it away, to remove the risk of a walker, or dog, being injured by the antlers.
The spokesman added: ‘We apologise for any distress caused to local residents from what was a most unfortunate set of circumstances.
‘The worker had intended to go back to remove the second deer carcass, which was in poor condition.
‘But before that was possible the shots had been reported to the police and we were asked not to move it until the matter was investigated.
‘It would have been wrong to leave the head. There have been instances elsewhere of people falling and dogs being gored. The police have now told us the carcass can be removed.’
A GoFundMe appeal has been set up to raise £1,000 to pay for a lasting memorial to Stanley. It has secured £250 from 23 donations in its first three days.
Fund organiser Luna Martin said: ‘We hope to get a wood carving of him for his grieving community.’
Some villagers have questioned whether or not Stanley was one of the dead deer but Dawn Harris, 52, is convinced that he was, as he has not been seen since residents heard shots fired nearby.
She said: ‘Everybody loved Stanley. He was a local celebrity, he used to go in gardens and cause mayhem, but we all loved seeing him.
‘I have been here about seven and a half years and Stanley has been about most of that time. We are going to miss him. The children loved him.’
Leanne Morrison, 23, from Bonawe, said: ‘My family live in a house close by and my mum heard the gunshots.’
A Police Scotland spokesman said: ‘Police were made aware of a stag carcass having been found near Kenmore Cottages in Bonawe on April 8.
‘Officers are following a positive line of enquiry as they seek to establish the full circumstances. No criminality has been established to date.’