It was actually an English red deer. The red deer is the largest British wild land mammal standing about four feet (1.2m) at the shoulder. The stags shed their magnificent antlers every year.
This photograph was taken back in September, 2008, in Lyme Park, Cheshire, England. Lyme Park is situated in a spectacular moorland setting at Disley near Stockport (my home town) on the edge of the Peak District National Park. The house and surrounding estate are owned by the National Trust. Lyme Park contains about 1,300 acres (526 hectares) of medieval deer park. The red deer herd at Lyme Park consist of about 250 animals which are descended from the wild herds which once roamed Macclesfield Forest.