The myth that Highland poaching is a gentle romantic pastime has been exposed by a team of professional stalkers in Wester Ross who had to humanely destroy a red deer hind which had been seriously wounded by the razor barbs of a poacher’s arrow.
The heavily pregnant hind, which also had a dependant calf, was found on the boundary of three estates, and the stalkers from Inverbroom, Dundonnell and Guinard who turned out to ensure the animal was put out of its misery were upset and furious that callous poachers had caused it hours or even days of suffering.
Allan Cameron, the head stalker on Inverbroom said the injury was horrific, with the arrow passing just below the spinal column.
“She would have been in excruciating pain with very step she took. And three lives have been lost because this vicious attack means the calf will simply starve to death without it’s mother.
Mr Cameron and the stalkers from the other estates, Alasdair McDonald from Dundonnell and Bill White from Gruinard, said that injuries from all types of weapons were now commonly seen in deer herds.
“People have this romantic view of poaching, that it’s someone taking a beast for the pot, but it’s nothing like that these days. The typical poacher is part of a gang armed with illegal weapons, and they’re opportunistic and vicious.
“They fire shots from any range and if an animal doesn’t die at once they leave it without any regard to welfare. I’ve had to humanely kill deer which have been shot in the gut or in the face, and they use any calibre of weapon, from an air rifle or a shotgun to a crossbow,” added Mr Cameron.
Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association chairman, Alex Hogg said that poachers blatant disregard for animal welfare was particularly distressing for stalkers whose job was to monitor and care for the herds of deer on their land.
He added: “Wildlife Crime doesn’t get more serious than this, and as gamekeepers and stalkers we do all we can to work with police forces across the country to prevent such suffering and cruelty.”