Crossword Genius

Seize public land we hear, and animals (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

commandeer

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'seize public land' is the definition.
'commandeer' can be an answer for 'seize' (commandeering is a kind of seizing). I am not certain of the 'public land' bit.

'we hear and animals' is the wordplay.
'we hear' becomes 'comma' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'and' becomes 'n' (common abbreviation for 'and').
'animals' becomes 'deer'.
'comma'+'n'+'deer'='COMMANDEER'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for commandeer that I've seen before include "requisition" , "Appropriate" , "Take by force" , "Take control of for military use" , "Seize" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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