Rangers at a popular country park have issued an urgent plea to visitors after a young deer had to be put down.
The unfortunate creature was shot, having become entangled in a plastic carrier bag.
Disorientated and being slowly strangled by the carelessly discarded rubbish, the young buck, which severely injured itself trying to jump a wall “in blind panic” was left with injuries too severe to survive, reports LeicestershireLive.
The incident, which happened in Bradgate Park, outside Leicester, has prompted the park's director to issue a fresh plea to visitors to take their litter home, rather than leave the deer and other wildlife to suffer the consequences of their thoughtless behaviour.
The latest incident has once more highlighted the potentially serious consequences of discarded rubbish, and could equally apply to people visiting other deer sanctuaries such as Nottingham's Wollaton Park.
Memorial plaque unveiled for Wollaton Park stag who was shot
A distressed adult male deer shot last year in Bradgate Park after pestering people for food, having become accustomed to being fed rather than grazing for itself, was found to have swallowed plastic bags and wet wipes and all sorts of other litter.
Peter Tyldesley posted on the park’s Twitter feed: “Today we have had to put down a young buck that got entangled in a carelessly discarded carrier bag.
“This was covering its face & strangling it, plus injured jumping a wall in blind panic. We could not approach the wild animal to remove, plus injuries too severe. TAKE LITTER HOME.”
He added: “It was a young buck, between 18 months and two years old, one of last year’s young.
“It ended up in Bowling Green Spinney, behind the ruins of Bradgate House .
“Several members of the public who saw it wandering around distressed notified us.
"It was in a blind panic and tried to jump over a wall, badly injuring itself.
“They are wild animals you can’t just approach them and gently remove the bag from its head.”
