I checked out the general deer warning signs last night and although they mention to not approach the deer particularly during birthing/rutting seasons, they don’t say at all that park users and particularly those with dogs are at risk from being charged even when stay well away from deer.

I personally believe there should be more stark warnings particularly around May with information about what attacks could happen – dog walkers should know of the risks so they can decide for themselves where they should visit in the park (if at all).

It is, of course, very sad when a dog is killed in the park by a deer. Warning notices regarding the deer behaviour are at every gate and car park. Sometimes a lone female deer will attack from a long way off. FBHP support the Royal Parks in their advice to avoid certain areas of the park during this time of year, and always keep dogs on leads whenever there are deer in the distance. This time of year when the young are being born is a very stressful time for the hinds and does. The bracken is not very high this year, so there is less cover for the mothers to leave their young. Deer are wild animals and the park is their home. We humans have to be aware of that and take great care that we leave the deer with enough space, so that they don’t feel the need to attack. Female deer naturally regard dogs as predators and defend their precious young accordingly.

FBHP support The Royal Parks in the way they manage the deer. It is a fallacy to say that the deer will find their natural level and will produce no more young. The deer now have no natural predators. They are contained within a walled park where there is only enough food to sustain a certain number of deer. There are 350 deer in Bushy and they are healthy because they are reduced in numbers each year, so that there is enough food and territory to go round for 350 deer. No one likes to see animals killed, but if the alternative is that they get diseases and starve to death, the humane way of dealing with this is to cull. It is not practical to move excess deer to alternative locations. The places are very limited in number and cause the deer great distress. Deer have actually died from stress while being moved in the past. Hormone birth control methods cannot be used within the circumstance of the Bushy Park deer herd.

FBHP’s aims are to help care for and enhance the park for everyone and that includes the flora and fauna as well as the public who enjoy this wonderful parkland. A great part of that enjoyment is the deer herds, and they need to be cared for and kept safe as do the users of the park

I don’t agree with animal cruelty, however a cull is necessary due to a complete lack of predators in the park. Natural ways of controlling populations will result in starvation and significant habitat destruction. Have you seen the damage a stag does to a tree when marking his territory? Ever wondered why the trees have protection around them?

I noted earlier this year there wasn’t sufficient food for the deer with the population and the rangers had to supplement their food with hay.
Supplying food isn’t the answer, a cull (as unpleasant as it is) is.

Regarding the attacks, I’m going to avoid the park for a few weeks until the bracken has grown enough to provide cover. I thing other dog owners should consider doing the same. It’s not the deer’s fault, they are protecting their families much as anyone else would. They don’t have recourse to language, courts or law, they can only use physical force.

Park rangers have in-depth experience with animal health and ecosystem behaviour to decide how many deer need to be culled each year to maintain the population and ensure it doesn’t develop issues that will threaten its very existence.

If you step back for a second, you will realise that this article and comments from the person affected are stating is that everyone should stay well away from the deer at this time of the year – this isn’t related to the cull.

I have personally written to Royal Parks about having more obvious warning signs and clearer indications of how dangerous the deer can be – most people simply aren’t aware and just think they are as friendly now as they at other times of the year.

Royal Parks & the Police that cover the park are very quiet about deer attacks and I have never had any information back from them or the police about how often they happen despite hearing of near misses each year and also people being charged from a distance & gored to the point of time spent in hospital. Despite this, no additional action has been taken to make park users more aware of the dangers or this particular deer’s behaviour.

Lesley, I have removed your comment about the deer cull because it’s not related.

We don’t blame the deer – but our six month old puppy – innocent to the world as a puppy could be – is dead through no fault of his or our making.

We were extremely fortunate that it was just our puppy that died and no human fatality arose too. Do we need that to occur before the park takes such attacks seriously.

I am not suggesting the park should be closed or the deer be removed but I believe better signage within the park is called for at this time of year and for particularly aggressive deer to be controlled.