Deer trapped in netting in Plymouth nature reserve after dog attack shot by police
Two deer from a nature reserve in Plymouth have been put down after being mauled by a dog whilst their antlers were tangled together.
The animals were spotted in distress in the Forder Valley Stream on Wednesday 30 December.
Their antlers were tangled together by netting and barbed wire.
The two trapped animals were then reportedly attacked by a dog before witnesses called the RSPCA to help.
Police were called to the scene where the deer were sadly put down.
One witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "There were two deer with great big antlers stuck together. Upon closer inspection we thought it could be rope of some kind.
"The RSPCA inspected the deer with binoculars and they were too badly injured to be saved.
"Three police cars turned up with armed marksmen in and it took them six shots to kill both deer as they had entanglement from the neck and injuries from the dog."
They added: "With Forder Valley Road shut, I can't emphasise how eerie it was. It was silent."
"The person from the RSPCA said children set up football goals and deer get inquisitive and get tangled up in the goal netting.
"It was that with small pieces of barbed wire caught in their antlers which caused them to be stuck together."
The Forder Valley is a nature reserve which is part of the Derriford Community Park. It is home to wildlife including deer, bats and badgers.
The local resident urged people to be careful when leaving netting and litter around the city, and said they didn't want this horrible incident to happen again."It's horrible, and really sad. It could happen again with anything. I'm sure they use plastic fencing [with the roadworks on Forder Valley] so I'd hate for it to reoccur."
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