It is believed that the deer were shot from close range on Friday nightPoachers shot dead three deer who were being housed in a pen at a children’s Santa experience in Wicklow. A staff member of Djouce golf club, where Santa’s Journey in Roundwood is held each year, discovered the deer pen empty on Saturday morning when he went to feed them. He also found a trail of blood leading across the golf course to the road and a bullet lodged in a tree. The club member, who asked not to be named, said yesterday that it was a “disgusting act” and gardaí were investigating. “We got three sika deer for the event and they were an integral part for the children .

Source: The Times December 22, 2017 00:22 UTC