Human nature

I'd noticed a couple of mentions on OM and elsewhere over the past few months about the stag that wanders into the car park at the viewpoint just beyond Bridge of Orchy as you're heading north.

I'd first seen it myself maybe six months ago - basically standing in the queue for the burger van - and creating a considerable stir amongst the tourists. I nearly drove off the road the first time I saw it. Remarkable altogether.

The Sunday Post had an article on it a few weeks back too. A nice feelgood story.

You could nearly write the script yourself of course about what's happened now.

Some fine upstanding citizens went after it with an airgun. A motorist found it lying - still alive - beside the road. The local gamekeeper had to put it out its misery. Literally, no doubt.

There's more detail here, if you feel the need.

It's not just the wicked senselessness of the act itself. It seems to be a truism that folk who would do something like that to an animal don't have an awful long way to go before they would do it to a human being. But such behaviour can breed that kind of attitude in others. Certainly in me it does. Because in the highly unlikely event that they were ever caught, I'd be perfectly happy to pull the fucking trigger on them myself. Which can't really be healthy for anyone concerned.

Sigh.