Tangled deer 'very lucky' to be spotted

Image source, Scottish SPCA

Image caption, The Scottish SPCA said it had no way of knowing how long the deer had been caught up in the cord

Two deer had to be freed with help from the Scottish SPCA after getting their antlers tangled in discarded cord from an electric fence.

The charity was called out to the incident in Wigtownshire on Friday.

A member of the public had spotted the two fallow deer which had got caught up in the cord and were unable to escape.

The Scottish SPCA said the animals were "very lucky" to have been seen and urged the public to dispose of all litter properly.

Image source, Scottish SPCA

Image caption, The charity asked the public to make sure they discarded litter properly

Rescue officer Sheena MacTaggart said: "On inspection the caller realised it wasn't just their antlers that were stuck together, but the deer were tangled up in wire from an electric fence.

"With help from one of our inspectors, we were able to free the pair and release them back into the nearby forest.

"We can't say how long they had been intertwined for but we do know they would never have been able to untangle themselves."

Image source, Scottish SPCA

Image caption, Such incidents are not uncommon in the countryside according to the Scottish SPCA

She said that it was not the first call they had received involving deer and discarded rubbish.

"It is so important the public properly dispose of all litter, especially wire, rope and netting so instances such as this don't happen," she said.

"Wildlife aren't always as lucky as these deer and improperly discarded waste can be fatal to Scotland's wild animals."