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A group of yobs have been pictured assaulting a wild stag whilst being cheered on by their mindless friends at a city park.
The shocking images show the men pulling at the animal’s antlers and slapping it on the rump, with the unsavoury scenes taking place in Nottingham’s Wollaton Park.
The group, who were dressed in hoodies, gilets and tracksuit bottoms were snapped by wildlife photographer Chris Golighty.
Horrified by what she had witnessed, the photographer immediately reported the incident to a park ranger.
Ms Golightly, who is in her 60s, said that she was observing the incident from afar as she tried to capture the deer lying by itself in the centre of the park.
‘I saw the group of seven men, but three of them went right next to the deer’, she said.
‘They then grabbed it by its antlers, shook its head and slapped the deer on the rump.. I was horrified at their shocking behaviour’.
‘It is bullying and an act of animal cruelty’, the photographer added.
Wildlife photographer Chris Golightly snapped a group of yobs assaulting a deer in a Nottingham park
The tracksuit-wearing yobs could seen grabbing the animal’s antlers
Local police are now investigating the incident amid renewed calls for members of the public to give the animals space.
Wollaton Park includes a deer park and Wollaton Hall, an Elizabethan house containing the Nottingham Natural History Museum.
Reacting to the incident, Langbein Wildlife posted on social media: ‘Reckless cruelty to stags at Wollaton Park, Nottingham.
‘Very sad to see, but thanks to one of our members Chris Golightly for highlighting this, in the hope to deter others from approaching deer so ridiculously closely.
‘Stags, exhausted by a long rut, will often rest up placidly in parks at this time as they are too tired to move at each close approach by people, and the last thing they need is to be wantonly disturbed.’
