Meet John Fletcher – the first commercial deer farmer in Europe, author of many books about deer, and the first man in Scotland to donate a kidney to a stranger.
John Fletcher is a leading specialist in the management of deer and their diseases and played a crucial role in the development of deer farming in the United Kingdom and Europe, liaising with the British Government. He has exported his deer throughout the world and currently breeds the rare white red deer.
He has contributed papers to a wide variety of learned and popular journals and is frequently called upon to act as an expert witness in litigation. He has written several highly acclaimed books about his own life and about deer and their role in human history. John has also featured in over one hundred radio and television broadcasts and lectures widely.
Contact John directly via johnfletcher@deervet.com Or click here.
My Books
My first book was A Life for Deer which is a highly readable account of how Nichola and I struggled to establish our deer enterprise in Auchtermuchty. It also contains a great deal about the biology of deer. It was subsequently reprinted as Fletcher’s Game – a Vet’s Life with Scotland’s Deer which included a new chapter on my experiences as a vet in the Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001.
My next book was Gardens of Earthly Delight – the history of deer parks. I have spent much of my working life in deer parks. They are beautiful unique places and this book was an effort to understand why for hundreds of years people have created these islands of peace. Perhaps this is the book which I am most proud of and it is still in print.
Finally I contributed a book called Deer in the animal series published by Reaktion which discusses the biology and classification of different deer species and their place in human culture and history.
Garden of Earthly Delights
Always fascinated by the deer parks in which he worked Fletcher wrote Gardens of Earthly Delights: The History of Deer Parks. It was published by Windgather Press in 2011 (ISBN 978 1 905119 36 3) and received excellent reviews in the national press including favourable attention from gardening historians. Find out more >>
Find Out More
Deer Farmer & Breeding Stock / Advice / Expert Witness / Author / Film & TV / Kidney Donor
Rare White Deer
We have a herd of magnificent white red deer as well as traditional chestnut-brown red deer. White red deer are very rare and very special. Click below to find out more and watch a video of these magnificent animals.
NEWS
At the end of the rainbow …
Our white red deer under the rainbow this spring celebrating the growth of new antlers and the recent delivery of our white red deer to create two new herds.
A very old lady plays her part in the Tree of Life genome project.
Our hand-reared hind Thistle, born on the Isle of Rum over 28 years ago very sadly had to be euthanised in January. She was able to provide us with some valuable scientific information which we hope may eventually prove beneficial to other deer. You can read her story below.
John recently appeared on
BBC "Ramblings" Radio.
White Stags and Kidney Donation in Fife - Clare is in Fife walking with John Fletcher who, in 2009, was the first man in Scotland to donate a kidney to a stranger.
Among many private and commercial landowners around the world, clients have included the British Royal Parks and Crown Estates, the Duke and Duchess of Argyll and the President of the United Arab Emirates.
