A Highland red deer known for asking tourists for snacks has been executed due to health concerns.
Callum the stag is a common sight at Beinn Eighe car park in Torridon in the North West Highlands due to his willingness to walk up to visitors and accept food from human hands.
But the animal, described as a “local legend”, had to be humanely euthanized by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).
An NTS spokesman said: “We are sorry to say that on the advice of veterinary experts, Callum, a stag often found in Torrid car parks, must be humanely euthanized.”
“We know many people in the community, as well as visitors, will be sorry to hear this news. As a conservation charity we take our responsibilities to animal welfare seriously and our advice is that this is the kindest option.
While an NTS spokesman did not reveal the stag’s health issues, the Ross-Shire Daily News reported that its health had deteriorated in recent years and said tourists feeding wildlife was a common problem in the Highlands.
Other reports say that feeding the wrong type of food, such as human snacks, causes the bucks’ teeth to rot, making it difficult to forage and leaving the bucks reliant on visitors as a food source.
An NTS expert veterinary assessment found Callum suffered from pain and discomfort due to poor body condition, poor coat condition and arthritis, The Daily Telegraph reported.
“Callum was a wild animal who became a local legend,” Highland historian Andrew Grant Mackenzie told the Ross-Shire Daily News.
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“Hopefully his life highlighted the importance of respecting the natural world of the Highlands and not feeding deer things they can’t naturally browse.”
