Officers from Ivybridge and Rural Police responded to a report of potential poaching in the village of Wotter, Devon, only to find two deer had been fatally struck by a vehicle. The incident occurred on Sunday morning, April 23, in this village located north of Dartmoor Zoo.
Upon their arrival, the police found one deer lying on the road and another on a grassy bank just off the tarmac. Both animals had died as a direct result of collisions with a speeding vehicle. The site of the deer casualties was situated only a short distance from a roadside sign warning motorists of livestock in the area.
In light of the discovery, the police issued a caution to drivers urging them to reduce speed in this stretch of road to help prevent further collisions involving wildlife. The statement from Ivybridge and Rural Police emphasised the avoidable nature of these accidents: "If people would just take five or ten miles an hour off in that area these collisions could be avoided. Cruel irony the deer is within 50 yards of a 'LIVESTOCK' warning sign."
The police initially attended the scene following a suspicion of deer poaching but determined that the cause of death was vehicle impact rather than illegal hunting.
Public response to the police’s Facebook post revealed a mixture of sympathy and realism. One commenter expressed sadness and a commitment to safer driving speeds, saying, "It's heartbreaking... it's horrible when this happens. I always drop my speed going over the moors, better to slow down." Meanwhile, another shared their personal experience highlighting the difficulty of avoiding deer suddenly appearing on the road: "I've hit a deer at 30 miles an hour on this road. They run out and it's unavoidable. Twice in eight days this happened. They did both get up and run off seemingly uninjured but the collisions were unavoidable."
This incident draws attention to the risks posed to both wildlife and drivers in this rural area of Devon, situated near Dartmoor, where deer are known to cross roads. The local police continue to monitor the situation and advocate for caution while driving to reduce such unfortunate events.
Source: Noah Wire Services