herd wild red deer foraging the snow scottish highlands

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A herd of wild red deer foraging in the snow in the Scottish Highlands Royalty Free Stock Photo

A herd of wild red deer foraging in the snow in the Scottish Highlands

The population of wild deer Cervus elaphus in Scotland has been steady growing for decades mostly due to two reasons: the lack of natural predators, and the increase of tree cover that has created more woodland habitat favourable to the species. Wild deer herds are easily spotted in wintertime, when they come down from higher terrain in search of pasture.