A Mirboo North deer farmer is reeling after his two pet stags were shot and left to rot on his property last week, in what he describes as “senseless vandalism”.
Red deer breeder Guido Jakshik had just returned from a business trip to New Zealand on Saturday when he found his two valuable stud animals had been shot dead.
“They’ve done a senseless, destructive act by shooting these magnificent animals and leaving them to rot in my paddock. We loved these animals, it’s an emotional loss, it’s like losing your dog,” he said.
“What kind of human being would do some kind of vandalising act like that? As a farmer, this is unfathomable.”
Mr Jakshik said neighbours had corroborated they heard three heavy calibre gunshots about 5.30pm on April 16.
He believed the deer may have been shot from the roadside as he could find no bullet casings in the paddock, nor any evidence of gates being tampered with.
He said it was also the time of evening when the deer would have moved close to the roadside boundary to feed, making them an easy target.
“I think this was an opportunistic act from people driving around shooting at things they see as targets. I’m really angry that these people have access to guns,” he said.
Mr Jakshik established the red deer farm 10 years ago to diversify farming in the region and now runs a small herd. He said his fencing was secure and none of his deer had ever escaped.
He said the two six-year-old stags were the result of a decade of selective breeding and were worth about $2000 each.
“At that age they have an imposing stature – they are magnificent with their antlers on,” he said.
“We didn’t intend to sell these animals. We loved them, we looked after them, we bred them and knew them from birth. They were nice quality animals, but it was more the emotional side for us.”
Anyone with any information should ring Crimestoppers on 1800 333 3000 or crimestoppers
vic.com.au.
