A dog owner has been fined £600 after his red setter savaged a deer in Richmond Park.
Franck Hiribarne’s dog was filmed charging at the small doe and dragging her backwards in front of shocked walkers.
People tried to get between the two animals but the ‘relentless’ attack left the deer with a partially detached tail and deep wounds.
The doe also suffered a broken leg after being hit by a car as she attempted to get away. She was found a short while later, collapsed in the ferns, and had to be put down by a gamekeeper.
Mr Hiribarne, 44, from Kingston, London, pleaded guilty to causing or permitting an animal he was in charge of to injure another animal in a Royal Park.
He was fined a total of £602. The defendant reported the incident on October 1 last year to the Royal Parks Office himself, while other witnesses spoke to officers in a passing police car.
Mr Hiribarne said he usually walked his dog, called Alfie, on a lead until he was well away from any grazing deer, and the dog had been responding well to ‘off lead’ commands.
He said: ‘I was genuinely shocked and sorry for what had happened and since then I have refrained completely from letting Alfie off leash in any park.
‘I have also taken a special dog trainer specialised in gun dogs to control more accurately any of his hunting instincts. He has made great progress.’
Sergeant Pete Sturgess said: ‘If you do not know how your dog will react around the deer, or you know they will chase them, then please respect the wildlife by keeping them under control on a lead, or choose an outside space other than Richmond or Bushy Parks to walk off lead.’
Four deer have died from dog attacks in the Royal Parks since March 2020, while there have been 58 incidents of dogs chasing the herds – a big increase on previous years – according to the manager of Richmond Park.
Simon Richards: ‘It’s imperative that owners ensure their dogs are under control at all times.
‘It’s illegal for a dog to chase deer in Richmond and Bushy Parks, and owners may face prosecution if caught.’
Part of the increase is thought to be down to new dog owners unfamiliar with the best conduct around wildlife.
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