We were up at dad's for a couple of hours yesterday, and I took his dog out whilst we were there. There was a herd of stags about 2 minutes from his house. Of course, I didn't have the right camera, and I also had his dizzy border terrier, Freuchie, on the lead, so catching a shot with my wee Canon was tricky. However, here you can see some of them, but there was a dozen or so, grazing on broken fir tree branches. I read later in the evening on FB that some of the villagers are feeding them. Much as I love to see deer, I'm not sure I agree with that as it will encourage them into the village for food (more than they are already encouraged). These are very big animals and can be dangerous if they find themselves cornered. I understand that people are feeding them out of kindness, but I think if they are to be fed, then the estate workers should be feeding them further up the hill, more in their natural habitat.
I think youâre right about the feeding....wild animals are better not encouraged to be too tame. I think the same about foxes. They look very beautiful here in the snow, must be quite tame to not move especially when you have a dog on the lead.
I don't understand why people think they can provide for nature better than nature can provide for itself. You are absolutely right. Once these fellows become dependent on the villagers for food their attitude will be more aggressive when they can't get it. That happened in the area where we used to live. People were feeding the bears and once the bears weren't getting the food they wanted people got hurt! It's a good shot though!
