Man fined £600 after out-of-control dog fatally attacked deer in Richmond Park

A dog owner has been fined £600 after a deer was killed when his red setter chased it, attacked it and forced it into the path of a car in Richmond Park. Franck Hiribarne’s dog, Alfie, charged the small doe, bit her from behind and then dragged her backwards before cyclists intervened to try and stop the attack. Alfie continued to jump and lunge at her, running around her in an attempt to get her.

The deer eventually manages to get up and limps off slowly to get away from the dog which was barking aggressively, but was hit by a car.

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She was later found among the ferns with a broken leg, open wound on her behind and a partially detached tail. She had to be put down by a gamekeeper to end her suffering.

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.

Frame taken from video dated 1/10/2020 and released by London's Metropolitan Police of a red setter dog attacking a deer in Richmond Park. Despite the efforts of passing cyclists the animal suffered significant injuries and was later put down by a gamekeeper. The dog's owner, Franck Hiribarne, 44, from Kingston, pleaded guilty of causing/permitting an animal they were in charge of to injure another animal in a Royal Park and was handed a total fine of ?602. Issue date: Monday January 18, 2021. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Deer. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder. — The red setter savaged the small deer in front of shocked cyclists and walkers in Richmond Park (Picture: PA)

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.

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Hiribarne said he usually walked 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: ‘All of a sudden, I and Alfie came across a lone small deer sitting hidden in the long grass in an open area about 150 metres away from the road and both the deer and Alfie were startled by each other.

‘The deer sprang up and started to run and Alfie got spooked and ran after the deer. I called Alfie back repeatedly and used my dog whistle too but Alfie was too distracted by the deer and continued to chase it and did not respond.

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Franck Hiribarne outside Wimbledon Mags. See SWNS story SWNNdeer; A ?200,000 a year marketing businessman whose dog attacked a deer in a Royal Park causing its death was fined just ?600. The frightened deer ran into the road where it was hit by a car and had to be put down after the Irish setter, called Alfie attacked it and then gave chase. Video captured by a cyclist shows the moment bystanders rushed to chased the dog away from the injured deer as it continued to circle the stricken animal. — Franck Hiribarne was fined a total of £602 (Picture: SWNS)

‘I ran after them and by the time I caught up with them I saw the injured deer by the road side and some members of the public standing surrounding the deer keeping Alfie away from it who was hyper excited, barking and trying to lunge at it.

‘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.’

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‘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 recorded incidents of dogs chasing the herds – a big increase on previous years – according to the manager of Richmond Park.

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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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The article source: metro.co.uk