A dead deer found hanging from a tree could have been killed as a result of "barbaric" blood sport, animal inspectors said.
The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after the animal's carcass was found in Ayr.
The roe deer had been suspended nine feet in the air, with its broken hind leg positioned around a tree branch.
Its ears and a large section of its face were missing.
A member of the public found the animal, whose body had started to decompose, in a field in Millview, Mainholm, on the outskirts of the town on Saturday.
Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: "This discovery is very suspicious and deeply concerning."
He added: "While the cause of death is unclear, we have no doubt that this animal was suspended from the tree out of malice.
"The first few inches of the deer's face are missing, as are its ears, which may be because other animals have been feeding off it.
"However, we also have to look at the distinct possibility this deer was injured and killed as a result of the barbaric practice of coursing.
"The motive for this sickening blood sport appears to be little more than the pursuit of some sort of thrill or pleasure from hunting an animal down and watching it being mauled to death by a dog."
He added that it was likely the animal was already dead when it was suspended from the tree, saying it would have been "extremely difficult" to do this while the deer was alive.
Mr Flynn said: "The average weight of a roe deer is around 10-25kg, so it would have been possible for an adult acting alone to have lifted the deer up to hang it from the tree.
"It has started to decompose but we don't think it has been there any longer than two weeks."
Anyone found guilty of hunting with dogs can face up to six months in prison, a £5,000 fine or both.
Mr Flynn appealed for anyone with information to contact the Scottish SPCA's animal helpline on 03000 999 999.
He said: "We are very keen to hear from anyone who has witnessed deer coursing or suspects anyone of being involved.
"Information such as a vehicle registration is extremely useful and can help us track down the perpetrators of this cruel and mindless activity."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article