Scientists say deer stalkers should also kill orphaned calves

Stalkers who target female deer should also cull their young to prevent calves being left fending for themselves, a study has claimed.

Almost 40 years of research found that orphaned, young deer struggle to find food and shelter, and are likely to die without their mother’s care.

Scientists from the universities of Edinburgh, Cambridge and Calgary studied data gathered on a population of wild red deer on the Isle of Rum.

They found that calves which were orphaned in the first two years of life were very likely to die sooner compared to those with surviving mothers.

Male calves orphaned after the age of two were likely to survive but females orphaned after two years of age continued to struggle to survive in the long term, the researchers found.

About 100,000 deer are shot in Scotland each year for sport, environmental and health reasons.

Professor Josephine Pemberton, from Edinburgh University’s school of biological sciences, said: “Our findings help pinpoint the impact on young deer of being orphaned at ages well beyond weaning.”