A pregnant deer has died after being struck by a car because it had a plastic stuck over its head, Newark and Sherwood District Council has said.
The doe was discovered by the roadside with a broken neck and had its head fully trapped inside the bag. The council said it expected it had wondered into the road, unable to see, and had been hit by a passing vehicle.
Council leader David Llloyd said it was an “unavoidable tragedy” which highlights the consequences of littering for wildlife.
“Quite simply had that bag not been dumped then the deer would almost certainly still be alive,” he said. The council said the deer’s swollen belly indicated it was pregnant.
“Plastic bags take many years to degrade” the council said. “Many thousands of animals and marine life die each year as a consequence of irresponsibly discarded plastic bags.
“Animals can unwittingly climb inside plastic bags and suffocate, or attempt to eat them and choke. Instead, to spare wildlife an untimely end, they can be recycled responsibly by simply tying a knot in the top of bag and placed in a bin.”