*Warning: Distressing Content. *
West Yorkshire Police has urged for the public to report information regarding a Roe Buck and Roe doe found dead in a field between Emley and Skelmanthorpe.
The public is asked to contact the police at 101, under the reference number 13240346965, if they have any information regarding the incident.
Reported to occur between the evening on June 26th and the morning of the 27th, the injuries both animals sustained appear to match those of a dog attack.
PC CJ Newsome posted an appeal via Facebook on July 2nd, along with two images of the animals, aimed to highlight the brutality of the event.
(Photo via https://www.facebook.com/pccj.newsome)
Eliciting shock and upset from locals, one user expressed, ‘Laws on this cruelty need to change and the right punishment given, it’s horrendous.’
When asked for a comment on the situation, PC Newsome replied ‘Whilst the images are quite distressing, I want members of the public to see the result of this kind of cruelty towards wildlife, which is happening in our communities.’
‘These young deer will have been terrified prior to their death.’
She further urged communities in rural areas to speak up, ‘Unlike crimes that happen in built up areas, many of these crimes take place in rural locations, where there are rarely witnesses or CCTV.’
The Facebook post was met with a collective concern from communities across Huddersfield, with over 30 responses, another user added ‘Please people if you post pictures of wildlife especially deer or badgers, do NOT identify where you saw them.’
The crime has been officially recorded under the offense of ‘Hunting a wild mammal with dogs.’
PC Newsome has also provided guidance to the public what to stay vigilant to when enjoying the countryside, ‘If you have information relating to someone you believe is out committing wildlife crime, for example digging for badgers, bird of prey crime, illegal shooting/poaching, destruction of a wild bird’s nest etc, please get in touch.’
Reports can be made online or by telephone through the number 101.
If a crime is in progress, please ring 999.