The severed head of a deer was discovered by a member of the public on Wednesday morning whilst walking on the grounds of St Michaels and All Ages Church in Lyndhurst.
This discovery is the latest in a string of disturbing animal mutilations in the area spanning recent years.
In 2021 a similar incident was reported at St Michaels after a head of a sika deer was found outside the Church.
Last year another deer head was found on a commemorative stone in Burley, only a day after five sheep had been found stabbed to death in the village of Cadnam.
The sheep had belonged to the Commoners’ Defence Association, which represents the owners of the Forest’s free-roaming animals.
A dead cat was also found tied to a flagpole in 2022 outside of St Peter’s Church in Bramshaw, only two weeks after a fox’s remains were also found on the doorstep of the Church.
In 2020 a deer was also found headless and with gunshot wounds next to the A338 near Ringwood.
Five species of deer found in the wild in the UK call the New Forest home. The four most common species are fallow, roe, sika and red deer, but there are also small numbers of muntjac deer.
There is a Hit and Run Reward Scheme of up to £5,000 for information leading to a conviction of a driver who failed to report an animal accident they were involved in.
According to the New Forest National Park website, it is a legal requirement to report an animal accident to the Police as soon as possible and within 24 hours to avoid causing additional suffering to an injured animal.
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