Anger at park visitor who grabbed stag's antlers

A photographer captured the moment on camera

A wildlife photographer says she was "appalled" to see a visitor grabbing a stag by the antlers at a deer park in Nottingham.

Christine Golightly photographed three men in the grounds of Wollaton Hall after spotting them close to a resting deer on Wednesday.

The 72-year-old Wollaton resident, who is also a volunteer ranger at the Nottingham City Council-run park, said she was shocked to see one of the men appearing to laugh as he took the animal by the antlers.

A council spokesperson said the actions of the unidentified group could have led to a "much more serious incident".

'Absolutely shocked'

The resting animal remained docile and appeared unharmed, said Mrs Golightly, who says she reported the incident to rangers.

She told the BBC: "I'm on the park every day as a volunteer ranger. On New Year's Day I wasn't on duty but I thought I'd have a quick walk when I saw it happen through my long lens.

"I was a long distance from it so I couldn't do anything and I'm not very mobile.

"I was absolutely shocked that somebody could do that. There are always incidents at Wollaton Park with people getting close to the deer but this was undeniably cruel.

"I was appalled, it was bullying."

Ms Golightly thinks the trio left the area before they could be spoken to.

The British Deer Society recommends that all deer "no matter how tame they may appear" should not be approached closely, while the Friends of Wollaton Park said the herds of red and fallow deer should be kept at a distance of 50m (164ft) by visitors.

A spokesperson for the Friends group said: "The park is their home. Please do not approach or feed the deer, as this can affect their well-being as well as your safety."

Wollaton Hall's grounds are home to more than 200 deer

A city council spokesperson said: "It is disappointing when matters such as this are brought to our attention.

"The deer at Wollaton Park are wild animals and this needs to be respected.

"Unfortunately there are still a small number of visitors who choose to ignore the signage and try to approach, risking injury and unsettling the deer.

"This is incredibly dangerous and the animals should be left in peace to roam and be observed from a distance.

"The actions seen in the photograph are foolhardy and could have led to a much more serious incident and would have also distressed the deer involved."