Richmond Park dog walker fined £602 over pet’s ‘relentless’ fatal attack on deer

A man has been fined £602 after his dog fatally injured a deer during a “relentless” attack in London’s Richmond Park.

Dramatic footage filmed by a cyclist shows Franck Hiribarne’s red setter, Alfie, rushing at the small doe, jumping up at her and dragging her backwards, at around 9am on 1 October last year.

Despite the efforts of several passers-by to get between the animals, forming a human barrier to stop the attack, Alfie left the deer with deep wounds to her back and tail, which was partially detached.

The doe also suffered a broken leg after being hit by a car in her attempts 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, from southwest London, pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on 15 January to causing or permitting an animal he was in charge of to injure another animal in a royal park. He was fined £602.

The defendant reported the incident himself to the Royal Parks Office, while witnesses – some of whom described the attack as “relentless” – spoke to officers in a passing police car.

Mr Hiribarne said he usually walked Alfie on a lead until he was well away from any grazing deer, and that the dog had been responding well to “off-lead” commands.

In a statement, 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.”

Following the attack, police are urging dog owners to keep their pets on a tight lead after the number of incidents concerning pets troubling deer herds in the capital’s eight Royal Parks rose during lockdown.

Sergeant Pete Sturgess, from the Metropolitan Police’s Royal Parks Command Unit, 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 royal parks since March 2020, when the first lockdown began, while there have been 58 incidents of dogs chasing the herds – a big increase on previous years.

Richmond Park manager Simon Richards said: “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 due to new dog owners unfamiliar with the best conduct around wildlife.

(c) Sky News 2021: Richmond Park dog walker fined £602 over pet’s ‘relentless’ fatal attack on deer