Coping

Just take a moment to look at this image of a young male fallow deer.

Yes, you are right, he is missing the most of his lower left hind leg. It took me a few moments to work it out, and being able to review the image also helped. Despite what I imagine to be a very debilitating injury, he was still part of the herd, albeit a little slower than his companions.

I had popped on to Cannock Chase in the hope of a good sunrise, only to receive an absolute drenching from a rain shower that came over in a flash. I decided to visit Brocton Coppice, where you can usually guarantee to see a deer, or two. Well today the whole herd must have been there, well in excess of 100 deer within a small area.

They weren't best please to see me. In their typical way, they picked themselves up from in amongst the heather and trailed off toward the conservation area one after the other, not rushing, resigned to having to move on. I did feel bad.