A RANGER has condemned the killing of seven geese that were butchered and dumped on a nature reserve as "absolutely horrific."

Countryside rangers were horrified when they discovered the carcasses of seven Canada geese on Dorset Council's Blackdown Nature Reserve, near Hardy Monument.

The birds were killed and had their breasts removed sometime overnight on Sunday, September 29. The remains of the birds were left in a ditch, believed to be the work of poachers.

Russell Goff, Senior Countryside Ranger at Dorset Council, found the slaughtered birds when conducting a routine cattle check at midday on Monday and said the sight was heartbreaking: "We believe they had been trapped somewhere, possibly at Fleet, before having their necks broken and then butchered up on our site with just the breast meat removed.

"They were brutally strangled and butchered. It's absolutely horrific.

"All the work that we and other organisations do locally to protect wildlife and enhance we world we live in and someone can just come along and ruin it by doing something like this.

"Worked in conservation for the best part of ten years and this is a first for me, just butchering them and leaving them to rot into the ground.

"The thing that upsets me the most is the complete disrespect and disregard for the animal. There was no care in this, once they had taken what they wanted the birds were discarded like waste."

Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for Highways, Travel and Environment said: “This is a despicable crime against nature. The birds have been butchered for a small amount of meat, with no respect shown to them after they have been killed.

"We pride the work we do for the benefit of all wildlife in Dorset - our countryside teams strive to create and maintain habitats suitable for wildlife to flourish but there are a small minority of people who have a blatant disregard for nature."

Chairman of Portesham Parish Council, Marsha White, said: "This is a disgusting and cruel act, presumably a stormy night was picked so little chance of any witnesses."

An appeal has been made for anyone with information to contact the council or Dorset Police, and Mr Goff hopes that more people will help in the fight against poaching: "Really it's down to members of the public to be vigilant and look out for suspicious vehicles. Report what you see. Get in touch and we will investigate."