A young deer has drowned after it became trapped in a piece of old fishing gear.

The red young, known as Henna, died on the Isle of Rum after getting into difficulty in a creel frame on a beach.

Researcher Sean Morris, from the island's Rum Deer Research project, spotted the three-year-old hind on the beach and tried to save her.

"I was doing a census on the deer for the University of Edinburgh," he said.

"I saw the deer in the water and she was on her side. I ran down to the beach when I saw the deer struggling in the water and pulled her out but she had stopped moving.

"I gave her chest compressions but she didn't come round."

He added: "It's usually stags that get their antlers caught in netting or rope.

"Quite often plastic wrapping from packaging can get stuck as well.

"Some get lucky when their antlers cast off but some aren't so fortunate.

"I remember finding one set of antlers that had been cast off with a dead deer caught up in them, so that plastic had killed two animals. "

The young deer's death is the most recent in a string of fatalities among the island's deer population as a result of marine pollution.

Last year, two stags died after their antlers became entangled in fishing rope.

Kate Forbes MSP said: "According to the latest figures, more than 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is lost or abandoned in the ocean each year.

"What perhaps most people don't realise, is that even though it's not immediately obvious to us on land, this equipment can continue to endanger marine wildlife for many years to come.

"What happened earlier this week on the Isle of Rum, with the red deer becoming entangled in fishing gear, is desperately sad.

"I will be visiting the island next month, and hope to speak to members of the community to discuss what can be done to drastically reduce the risk of something like this happening again."

David Donnan, Scottish Natural Heritage's fisheries policy and advice manager, said: "Marine litter, such as fishing gear, is a huge international problem and a threat to wildlife both in the sea and on the shore.

"Some deer forage on seaweed at Rum, and unfortunately they may be at risk of encountering marine litter as a result.

"While the Rum community works in partnership with us to remove as much litter as possible, regular clean-ups of remote and inaccessible areas can be challenging."

He added: "We're also currently working with the fishing industry and NGOs to reduce the risk of large animals being entangled in fishing gear.

"Along with many organisations, SNH recently joined the campaign to bin plastic straws; and we're cutting down on disposable plastics by providing our staff with re-useable travel cups.

"If you use your own bag for life when shopping, or take litter home after a day at the beach, you could help save an animal's life."