Deer poachers and coursers are putting lives at risk in Fife, a wildlife crime partnership has warned.
The public are being asked to be extra vigilant after a spate of deer poaching and coursing in Fife and Tayside.
Not only is this practice ensuring deer could suffer ”a cruel death” but is also endangering human lives.
In one incident, deer ran between vehicles on all four lanes of the A92 in Fife as they frantically tried to escape their pursuers.
Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson is chairman of the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Scotland, which encompasses a range of bodies to tackle wildlife crime including conservation, land management, sporting and law enforcers.
Mr Stevenson told The Courier this week: ”The fight against wildlife crime is of paramount importance to us and the illegal practice of deer poaching and coursing is unacceptable.”
Fife Council’s animal health department is looking into links with the commercial distribution of poached game.
Fife Constabulary wildlife crime coordinator PC Ian Laing said: ”We sometimes see an increase in poaching and coursing at this time of year because game is more evident in fields in which the crop has been harvested, and there are more hours of darkness.
”We suspect poachers are generally looking to make quick money by selling the venison, while the coursers mostly send their dogs to chase the deer for sport.”
He added: ”In both cases, although particularly coursing, the deer are likely to suffer a cruel death.”
PC Laing said that the force has had instances of people who are not legitimate deer stalkers failing to make a clean kill and leaving deer maimed.
He said: ”We would also ask that if you see torches being flashed around fields at night or find any discarded deer remains to contact the police.”
Fife and Tayside police have also joined forces with the Scottish SPCA and the British Association for Shooting and Conservation to carry out weekend patrols.
Scottish Land and Estates chief executive Douglas McAdam said: ”Poachers and coursers, whatever their intended quarry, are unscrupulous and ruthless criminals with the advantages nearly all on their side.”