Inspired by the Hunting thread - who do you call

[teapot]

Given it’s dark before 5 and going into winter, who do you call if you come across wildlife, especially deer that needs dispatching?

Thinking of having a number in my phone just in case… and know police aren’t necessary the quickest nor the best shot available.

 

[dogatemysalad]

RSPCA, but not sure how accessible they are these days, so second choice would be the nearest large animal vet. I think vets get paid for treating or dispensing wildlife.

 

[paddy555]

no idea who you call but down here we call the livestock protection officer to deal with emergencies, accidents etc etc

 

[emilylou]

Out riding last week early morning we found two stags that had become twisted in electric wire fencing whilst fighting. They had been there all night and their antlers and necks were very wound up in the wire with no way of getting them out safely. Luckily we have friends from my husbands shoot who have the skills to deal with this kind of situation and have a real understanding of british wildlife, so we called them it was dealt with. They were dispatched cleanly and quickly, less than an hour after we found them. I have no idea how long they would have been there had we not spotted them, dying a slow, stressful death from dehydration. There were no livestock in the field and it wasn’t being checked regularly. And would have been really dangerous if a well meaning person came along and tried to free them without knowing what they were doing.
A tight knit, practical countryside community is so valuable for so many reasons, and is one of the many valuable benefits of field sports that go forgotten.

 

[ihatework]

Haven’t had to, but I’d call a good friends hubby. He’d come and do the deed

 

[blitznbobs]

My husband has a shotgun … he is regularly asked to dispatch an animal in distress

 

[YorksG]

If you ring the police they will have contacts in the local area, that they call on for such eventualities. A friend in North Yorkshire gets called by the police, the police have records of who have rifles

 

[SEL]

Tiggywinkles is our local wildlife hospital with vets and they will rescue / despatch as appropriate.

 

[Cob Life]

Some locals here have put together a list of numbers to contact so there’s specific people to contact for deer, badgers, birds of prey .etc. So they are getting the correct care (or euthanasia) as soon as possible.
if it was a deer that needed dispatching probably the local game keeper as I know him, know he will be quick and he’s who the police use

 

[MuddyMonster]

Our local wildlife hospital/rescue have always come out when I've needed them too. Failing that I'd call our local mixed vet practise.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My OH dispatches wild life in our area. Mainly deer hit on the road. Try and find the contacts of local gamekeepers. Police sometimes come out but can't despatch, RSPCA is no good.

 

[JackFrost]

Vets have a legal(?)obligation to deal with wildlife welfare cases, and cover the cost. They should be your first call if you don't have a local marksman who can help.

 

[teddy_]

You can call the police, who will be able to instruct the local deer warden to despatch. For smaller wildlife, I'd be inclined to contact a local veterinary practice.

 

[scruffyponies]

Well armed neighbours for deer. Smaller than that I would dispatch myself.
I would consider it a dereliction of duty calling police, rspca or similar... no way you'd get a fast enough response to be humane.

 

[rara007]

We fairly regularly have them brought to our small animal hospital overnight when no one else is awake. We’re not paid as suggested above and we pay for the disposal too. They have to be brought to us unless literally impaled and even then would struggle to get away to do it in a timely manner. It’s not ideal but it’s a 3am option. I doubt we have a deer warden, we barely have a dog warden and you certainly won’t get help from the rspca or the police overnight!

 

[clairebearfur1]

Your local council should be able to advise I think

 

[J&S]

My step daughter is a vet and she has been called out to dispatch deers on the A38.

 

[QuantockHills]

I rang our local hunt... they were very quick and efficient

 

[Birker2020]

I have an updated list of numbers after we had to have a deer shot on our yard after dogs had savaged it. None of the people I rang could come to us, they wanted us to take it to them and the deer was in a bad way and couldn't travel.

We ended up speaking to the local farmer who moves our muck heap and he and I went down the field, located the deer and he despatched in with a captive bolt.

 

[palo1]

I have an updated list of numbers after we had to have a deer shot on our yard after dogs had savaged it. None of the people I rang could come to us, they wanted us to take it to them and the deer was in a bad way and couldn't travel.

We ended up speaking to the local farmer who moves our muck heap and he and I went down the field, located the deer and he despatched in with a captive bolt.

Blimey! Captive bolt is very old fashioned and unusual to find someone with a licence to use that these days. For all those suggesting that you can just shoot a deer, you can do it but ordinarily in the UK a shotgun is NOT considered suitable for deer or for human despatch though at short range, it probably would do the job. For the vast majority of people an injured and potentially struggling deer is not an easy thing for humane destruction though a farmer with a gun probably could do that.

 

[Horseysheepy]

Captive bolt are used by fallen livestock staff, seeing them all too often at the moment, bloomin sheep dropping like flies.

Farmers often have humane stunners to dispatch smaller livestock, poorly lambs etc. Don't need a license. Maybe that was what Birker's farming friend used.

 

[Birker2020]

Captive bolt are used by fallen livestock staff, seeing them all too often at the moment, bloomin sheep dropping like flies.

Farmers often have humane stunners to dispatch smaller livestock, poorly lambs etc. Don't need a license. Maybe that was what Birker's farming friend used.

It could well have been, it was like a kind of cycle pump shape about 6 inches long.

I kind of turned the other way when it was despatched as I didn't want to see, was horrified when he said I might have to hold it for him, luckily I didn't have to.

 

[Horseysheepy]

It could well have been, it was like a kind of cycle pump shape about 6 inches long.

I kind of turned the other way when it was despatched as I didn't want to see, was horrified when he said I might have to hold it for him, luckily I didn't have to.

Yes sounds right.
I've been working on farms all my life and am a sheep farmer myself and have held 100's of sheep for dispatch and witnessed many a cow being dispatched on farm, but I always look away too. It's never nice, but it's necessary and we always are thankful for the service they provide.

 

[Aleka81]

My husband has a shotgun … he is regularly asked to dispatch an animal in distress

Really? That's odd. And can make a real mess.
Rifles much cleaner and more effective

 

[palo1]

Captive bolt are used by fallen livestock staff, seeing them all too often at the moment, bloomin sheep dropping like flies.

Farmers often have humane stunners to dispatch smaller livestock, poorly lambs etc. Don't need a license. Maybe that was what Birker's farming friend used.

Isn't a humane stunner a different thing? It enables despatch by other methods I thought. We farm and will call a vet or fallen livestock service for cattle or sheep. A shotgun is our only other option but not great.

 

[Birker2020]

I remember a few years back now my partner found a very handsome stag dead in the middle of the lane, had obviously bit hit by a car. He didn't like to just leave it in the lane so dragged it to the verge - he was very certain it was dead.

When he drove past at lunchtime it had gone.

Mum and I went for a meal that lunch time and I spotted venison on the specials board. So I joked to the young lad serving us that that was where the stag had gone relaying the story to him.

He was very quick to jump to the pubs defence and say that their venison was bought in the week before!

 

[Horseysheepy]

Isn't a humane stunner a different thing? It enables despatch by other methods I thought. We farm and will call a vet or fallen livestock service for cattle or sheep. A shotgun is our only other option but not great.

You are right, stunners are used prior to slaughter. But I remember on a farm it was termed as a stunner and used to dispatch small lambs, not sure of the current name.

 

[Birker2020]

You are right, stunners are used prior to slaughter. .

Yes if you are lucky enough not to be a halal lamb that is.

 

[Gamebird]

We fairly regularly have them brought to our small animal hospital overnight when no one else is awake. We’re not paid as suggested above and we pay for the disposal too. They have to be brought to us unless literally impaled and even then would struggle to get away to do it in a timely manner. It’s not ideal but it’s a 3am option. I doubt we have a deer warden, we barely have a dog warden and you certainly won’t get help from the rspca or the police overnight!

There's a whole raft of issues, aren't there? Small animal vets won't have Somulose. Pentobarb is fine, but large quantities are required. Even amongst equine vets firearms licences and guns are rare these days - I gave mine up about 5 years ago. More common to find a farm vet with one.

Then there's disposal. If you've injected the deer in situ you legally have to remove the carcass for disposal because of the risk to wild predators from eating the carcass (or even, god forbid, a human!). Then normal crematoriums can't legally deal with them as they are subject to specific regulations for disposal - they must go to a licensed fallen stock slaughterhouse. There are regulations for transporting carcasses that have been injected, too...

 

[Fransurrey]

Yes if you are lucky enough not to be a halal lamb that is.

I don't think you understand what Halal means. The vast majority of Halal meat is stunned, with the only difference being a blessing prior to the slaughter.

OP, I call out the nearest large animal vet (I have a few numbers in my phone). On one occasion I called the local wildlife hospital, who sent somebody out with a captive bolt. I was told by them that had I contacted a local with a gun I would have got them into serious trouble, due to the proximity to the road.