NEWS

Firefighters untangle stranded stag

A stag which entangled its antlers in a rope swing has been rescued by firefighters, the RSPCA said. The animal charity was alerted to the distressed stag which had become caught up in a rope hung from a tree in a field in Green Lane, Rotherwick, Hook, Hampshire. RSPCA inspector Sara Jordan called in help from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service which scrambled its animal rescue officers to the scene on May 10. Watch manager Anton Philips used a long pole to place a towel over the stag's eyes to calm down the animal which was throwing itself around in a distressed state when approached. When the animal had calmed, RSPCA chief inspector John Harrod, assisted by fire service watch manager Colin Harwood, was able to cut the rope, allowing the stag to walk off uninjured into adjacent woodland. Ms Jordan said: "This was a fairly dangerous rescue for everybody concerned as the stag was full grown and his antlers could have been lethal. "He was also kicking out and could well have injured himself or even broken his neck, so the teamwork of the RSPCA and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service was vital for the animal's safe release. "The rope swing was probably intended for child's play but rescuing a stag that got accidentally caught in it was anything but." She added that the rope swing was then cut down to prevent other wild animals becoming caught up in it again.

Giant stag 'shot dead for antlers' The male red deer, known as the Emperor and reputedly the biggest wild animal in Britain, was reportedly killed by a trophy hunter in Exmoor, Devon. He was apparently shot legally after the landowner was paid for the shooting rights.Emperor was 9ft tall to the tips of his antlers and is believed to have weighed some 300lbs.His demise comes several days after his picture was published in newspapers.One local deer enthusiast said two shots had been heard close to the main Tiverton to Barnstaple road.He added that a group of people were out watching stags close to the spot where Emperor was killed earlier this month. Peter Donnelly, an Exmoor-based deer management expert, said he was angry the animal had been shot during the mating season.He told The Times: "It could be that he didn't get a chance to rut properly this year, therefore his genes have not been passed on this time round. "The poor things should be left alone during the rut, not harried from pillar to post. If we care about deer we should maintain a standard and stop all persecution during this important time of the year."