On Blacka we have numerous groups of wildlife and regular visits from humanity, allegedly a 'higher' form of life. It's hard sometimes to see humanity as a higher form when we see the behaviour of some who claim to belong to it. This morning we found the severed head of a beautiful young stag in a carefully chosen place at Stony Ridge car park . The question to be asked is whether this is ‘just’ poachers or something more. The significance of the place could be that it was next to a notice that had been posted there publicising a meeting this Thursday of Friends of Blacka Moor. At the same time that the dead deer's head had been placed there, the FoBM notice had been torn down and removed. The content of that notice could be relevant: it invited people to come along and discuss whether Blacka Moor should be considered to be wilder land and for wild animals rather than farmland managed using sheep and cattle. The conclusion is hard to avoid - that somebody, possibly with a farming connection, resents this message and also dislikes to an unbalanced degree the fact that local people love the deer.
In that case it’s likely that this blog has contributed to the motivation of the perpetrators of this atrocity in that here we have challenged the constantly voiced orthodoxy of those who say that all land must be managed with farm animals and that any wild animals must be ruthlessly controlled, be they badgers, or foxes or in this case deer. We may see these people as descendants of the gamekeepers who would string up foxes, crows and birds of prey on wire fences.
3 comments:
I hope you reported this incident to the police, since it appears to be evidence of an illegal act.
It is tempting to speculate on who did this and why. I would suggest that rather than take any blame for this onto yourself, we might ask the question of Sheffield Wildlfe Trust. Do they convey the true nature of the wildlife on Blacka? As an organisation, can they in all integrity use the word "wildlife". Isn't it they that demonstrate that wildlife is really a disposable inconvenience on Blacka, thus giving the lead to whoever killed this deer and then used it in a way that desecrated the beauty of its existence?
SWT has indeed reported this to the police, as it is an outrageously blatant and unpleasant provocation to any right-minded person, as well as being illegal. Mark Fisher's ridiculous comment, linking this to the Wildlife Trust in some warped and nonsensical way, just goes to show how little he understands us and how little he cares that he doesn't.
My initial reaction to the news that this had happened was much like yours, and I did wonder for a moment if some unwelcome, barbaric and unthinking person had chosen to try to stir up ill-feeling by linking this to the removal of the FoBM notice.
Having talked to the SWT staff who reported this to the police, however, I now think differently. The police's comment on the issue was that this type of thing is common when poachers hunt deer and kill them illegally. It is (apparently) not unusual for deer to be shot using crossbows (to avoid prosecution under firearms legislation), and/or for them to be brought down using dogs. The deer's head is then often removed (as in this case) and displayed somewhere prominent simply as a two-fingered salute to those who don't participate in such activity. It is intentionally done to offend everyone - not just the Friends of Blacka Moor, or supporters of the Wildlife Trust.
The police have noted all the details and said that they will try to put in some additional patrols to deter further occurrences.
Nigel Doar
I am in shock and totally abhorred by this news. I was at the Stoney Ridge 'car park' Sunday pm and the notice about the FoBM meet was still in situ then so can only assume this desecration was during the hours of darkness late Sunday/ early Monday.
I cannot begin to explain how I am feeling at the moment and my thoughts are with you at having to witness such a barbaric and repulsive act.
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