Forest of Dean wild boar and deer poaching 'out of control' Published duration 25 September 2015

image caption The Forestry Commission believes there are more than 1,000 wild boar in the Forest of Dean

The poaching of deer and wild boar in the Forest of Dean is getting out of control, animal activists say.

The claim comes after a boar's head was nailed to a tree near Blakeney Hill reservoir and photos appear to show a fox and deer both have been shot dead.

Activist Drew Pratten said he believed poachers, who felt they could get away with the killings, were responsible.

Gloucestershire Police said it was investigating and would prosecute anyone found to be poaching.

Wild boar and deer populations are controlled by legal culls carried out by the Forest Commission, which manages the land.

image copyright Drew Pratten image caption Animal rights campaigners believe poachers are responsible for three recent animal deaths

image caption Drew Pratten wants to photograph poachers to hand evidence to police

Poaching is where hunting takes place without legal permission from the landowner, and Mr Pratten says the recent pictures are evidence of this happening in the Forest of Dean.

The commission sent staff to search for the remains and clear them away once police had gathered evidence.

"All I can think is this is almost a two-fingers to the authority, a 'We can do what we want'. The forest is huge and there's not enough police to go round," said Mr Pratten.

He now plans, along with fellow campaigners, to gather intelligence by installing cameras in secret locations.

Sgt Simon Clemett, rural crime liaison officer, said the issue was very difficult to tackle.

"Very often you get people from outside of the county travelling in, so really part of the way we're going to tackle it is information-sharing with surrounding forces," he said.

"There is a problem. I don't think it is as big as some people perhaps think, but as far as I'm concerned if there is one poacher in the forest then we have a problem."