A delivery driver has been dubbed “Dr Dolittle” after he captured video footage of a wild deer sharing his lunch.
Marcin Witaszak, 39, was on the single track road to the Isle of Skye when he had the close encounter with the animal.
The Pegasus Couriers contractor, who lives in the village of Farr, south of Inverness, loves to connect with wildlife on his travels.
He said he often stops to “chat with the animals” while on his delivery routes.
Marcin moved to the Highlands from his home in Poland. He said: “It is beautiful. I like the mountains and the forests.
“Every morning a lot of birds come to my house and they sing.
“I was on a single track road on the way to Skye. The deer were eating there. Usually when I stop they run away.
“But this one just came up to me. It was very nice. I will try again to have a connection with that deer.
“All the time when I see animals I stop and try to have some connection with them.”
He has collected quite a selection of images of the animals he sees on his travels.
This latest encounter happened on February 3 when Marcin spotted the herd of about 15 grazing deer.
He parked up along the road about 65ft from the animals.
With his driver’s side window rolled down, Marcin calls over to the herd prompting a young deer to approach the van hesitantly.
Surprised that the deer did not run away, Marcin talks to the herd in Polish.
He added: “I was talking to them when the one kept coming closer and closer. I then gave it a rice waffle,” he said.
“I think it was more curious than anything, or maybe it smelt the food.
“Because I travel so much, I get to see so much of the beautiful countryside. I often see deer on my daily routes, but they run away whenever I have time to stop and see if they want a chat.
“So imagine my surprise when they did not all scatter when I stopped the van.”
Marcin said that he loves animals and has even had conversations with sheep, ducks, horses, dogs and various other animals he comes across.
He said: “I just like animals. There is nothing like smelling the fresh air and having animals around you in the middle of nowhere while travelling the open road.”
Regional manager Michal Zwierzynski said that Marcin had been with the company for several years.
Mr Zwierzynski said: “He is an experienced driver, and ever since I have known him, he has been an animal person.
“Doing these things while travelling makes it worth it. Being out in the fresh air meeting people, and animals, while driving around the beautiful Scottish Highlands.”
Deer are normally shy of people and usually run away, said Scottish Deer Centre education and conservation manager Andy Foster.
He warned that it could be dangerous to approach them.
Mr Foster added: “However, if people feed deer in a place they will keep coming into that area and habituate with humans and associate them with food.
“It also has to be remembered these are wild animals and can be unpredictable. One minute being docile, the next kicking and thrashing at you.”
Last year, the most recent statistics showed Aberdeenshire was the area with the highest number of deer-vehicle collisions in Scotland.
Fife had the second highest amount, followed by the Highlands in third place.
