Plastic danger hits British wildlife
Posted 19th April 2018
A heartbreaking photo of a stag with plastic strewn around its antlers captured the attention of the British public when it appeared on the front page of the Daily Mail this week.
The wild stag – photographed by animal welfare staff at the League Against Cruel Sports Baronsdown sanctuary in Somerset – was caught up in plastic that is believed to be waste silage wrap from a neighbouring farm.
The photo has prompted calls from the animal welfare charity for farms to make better use of plastic recycling services and for biodegradable materials to be used instead.
Chris Luffingham, League Against Cruel Sports Director of Campaigns, said:
“Photos like this hit home how we need to cut back on plastic materials in order to benefit the environment and the wildlife living there. It’s not just our oceans being poisoned by plastic.
“The good news is that this stag will naturally shed its antlers during April so for once we have a happy ending.”
The photo also appeared in a double page spread in the Daily Mail highlighting the newspaper’s Great Plastic Pick Up campaign.
Deer and stag hunting
The League's Baronsdown sanctuary on Exmoor is an open sanctuary where wildlife can visit. Our sanctuary is surrounded by stag and deer hunts, which continue to hunt the animals in spite of it being illegal.
Stag hunting involves the chasing and killing of these amazing animals for 'sport'. At the end of the chase, the body of the stag is 'carved up' to give as trophies to those taking part in the hunt.
Petition
The League is encouraging members of the public to sign our petition titled ‘Stop the killing of animals by hunts in the UK’ to persuade the government that hunting legislation needs to be strengthened to stop hunts killing deer, foxes and hares once and for all.
ENDS