A family out for a casual walk were left shocked and frightened after discovering a decapitated deer on a Cornish beach.
Mollie Nash was enjoying a stroll with her children on Portreath beach on the north coast of Cornwall when she came across the headless deer. She said the animal must have been killed and beheaded quite recently as there was no sign of decomposition and blood was still streaking out of the fatal neck wound.
The mum from Falmouth said: "I came across a headless deer washed up on Portreath beach on a family beach trip and it [seems] unexplainable. It was relatively fresh as it had blood coming from the neck and no sign of decomposition. As you can imagine the kids were frightened and nobody seemed to know what to do with it."
The gruesome discovery happened at 6pm on Sunday when the beach was packed with locals and holidaymakers enjoying the sunshine. Devon and Cornwall Police said no incident relating to the discovery had been reported to it.
According to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust if people find a dead animal on the road, pavement, or in another open public space, they should tell the local authority in this case Cornwall Council. This includes domestic pets and wild animals like badgers and foxes. A dead animal found on private property should be reported to the owner of the land.
Cornwall Council confirmed that the dead deer was reported to it but said that when its team turned up the animal had been removed.
Anybody who comes across an injured animal, or sees young nearby that may be orphaned, should contact the RSPCA. Police say that anybody witnessing a wildlife crime taking place should call 999. For a non-emergency, call 101.
