Dead deer with rifle wound sparks police investigation

Wiltshire Police has launched an investigation after having found a dead deer in South Marston outside of Swindon.

A deceased Roe Deer was found with what appeared to be an air rifle pellet in its stomach.

"It was clear that it had recently been shot and had died from this injury," Wiltshire Rural Crime Team said on their Facebook page.

It is currently illegal to shoot a deer

The illegality, in this case, is the potential use of an airgun to shoot the deer. Airguns do not possess the power to humanely dispatch deer, its use would have significantly comprised the deer’s welfare.