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Vigilance urged after poaching of famous stag

In the wake of the illegal poaching of a stag dubbed the ‘Goodleigh Giant’ in north Devon, the Countryside Alliance has urged those who use the countryside to be vigilant of poachers, or risk long-term damage to shooting and other forms of wildlife management.

David Taylor, Shooting Campaign Manager for the Countryside Alliance, said: “In recent weeks wildlife specialists ranging from the Deer Initiative and Woodland Trust, to leading environmentalist Chris Packham, have all recognised the importance of active deer management in controlling numbers across Britain.”

“Illegal poaching, as has occurred in the case of the Goodleigh Giant, is totally unnecessary and ends up doing long-term damage to the gene-pool of deer.”

“There is now widespread recognition that deer need managing in Britain, and indiscriminate poaching harms the deer population as a whole, as well as the reputation of both shooting and wildlife management. We urge everyone who uses the countryside to be on the look-out for poachers at this time of year.”