ANOTHER deer kill has been reported as scientists move closer to results of DNA tests which could beef up evidence of big cats in Gloucestershire.

Expert big cat tracker Frank Tunbridge was alerted to the carcass at Edge, near Stroud, which he believes could have been raided for meat by a big cat.

"The fur has been plucked, there is a piece of skin that looks like it's been ripped off, and its internal organs have been eaten out from the back" said Mr Tunbridge, who took samples of the deer for DNA testing.

Meanwhile, Dr Robin Allaby of the University of Warwick is testing samples from deer kills at Woodchester and Dursley for evidence of big cat DNA.

The Citizen understands that at this stage the results of those tests are likely to be inconclusive.

This latest find at Edge follows several deer and wallaby kills which could be down to a big cat, and sightings.

The Roe deer, found by walker Dave Davies on Tuesday afternoon, appeared to have been shot at point blank range through the top of its head. One back leg was also broken and Mr Tunbridge believes it may have been involved in a road collision and dispatched with a gun.

"It's possible foxes have had a feed on it too but they couldn't eat all that. A big cat could," Mr Tunbridge said.