An illegal snare was found in a Kirkcaldy wood while children were on an outdoor wildlife lesson.
The P5 and P6 pupils from Capshard Primary School were watching a deer close to where the lethal trap was spotted, just 20 yards away from them.
Community gardener Ronnie Mackie was working with the pupils when he saw the device tied to a fallen tree trunk in Dunnikier Woods.
He warned that a child or pet could have been seriously hurt and any animal trapped could have lost a limb or died an agonising death.
He said: “I was out with a group of kids, trying to teach them about respect for nature, and we find something like this. We were watching a deer right next to where the snare was.”
Legal snares should slacken when the animal stops struggling and not allow an animal to be suspended but the one found was two feet up and had no stopper, so anything trapped could have been strangled or had a limb severed.
Mr Mackie, of Kinghorn, reckoned the trap was intended for deer and posted a message on Facebook warning families and dog walkers using the network of paths in the forest to beware.
He said: “As well as being illegal, it is a disgusting way to catch them (deer) as it can lead to legs being cut off and a slow, painful death. Not only that, it could be your dog caught up in it or even your child.”
Capshard Primary School head teacher Angela Welsh said: “Thankfully no animal had been caught in the trap, which would obviously have been upsetting for the children.
“It’s a cruel and thoughtless thing to do and hopefully the police will catch whoever did this.”
Kirkcaldy North councillor Neil Crooks branded the setting of the snare a “disgusting, mindless and dangerous act” and said the pupils were lucky not to have witnessed a traumatic sight.
He said: “I shudder to think of the consequences for our Capshard pupils and staff who were on a wildlife outing in the vicinity, observing a deer at the time.
“A beautiful and enlightening experience for the youngsters, watching this magnificent animal in its natural habitat, could have turned instantly to a horrendous nightmare had the deer stepped into the snare.”
Police Scotland’s wildlife and environmental crime coordinator in Fife, PC Lindsay Kerr, said an investigation has been launched and urged anyone with information to contact police. He said: “Snaring is a vital tool that is required to assist in land management. It is illegal when it is done irresponsibly by people without the proper training and this snare would fall into that category.”