‘We heard killing on a family picnic’ Park’s decision to shoot wild deer ‘outrageous’
A mum who heard a deer being killed at Knole Park says warnings not to feed the animals need to be made clearer.
Vicky Chaney from Stockbury was having a family picnic when she heard the gunshot. The 40-year-old said she thought the instruction not to feed the deer was out of concern over giving them unsuitable foods.
In a post on Facebook, which has been shared 2,300 times, she said: “One did come over so out came the carrots.
“Five minutes later the deer keeper came along. My 12-yearold daughter asked him if he was looking for the deer and he informed us that he was looking for it to shoot it. Five minutes later there was a gunshot.”
She added: “It was a huge shock. I feel like the signs need to give the honest reason behind the rules so people don’t make the same mistake we did.”
An animal welfare group has condemned a Sevenoaks park’s decision to shoot one of its deer, calling it ‘outrageous’.
The incident happened last Friday at Knole Park - where 350 of the wild animals roam - after one reportedly became aggressive and injured a visitor.
The National Trust, which shares ownership of the parkland with Knole Estate, defended the action as necessary for the health and safety of the public after the deer became “too aggressive” and posed a “threat to other visitors”. Several signs are placed around the Knole Estate, including on the entrance gates, asking people not to feed the deer as this can cause them to become too tame and behave unpredictably.
In a statement, The National Trust said: “A deer had injured a visitor, was displaying overly aggressive behaviour and posing an immediate threat to other visitors. The decision was therefore taken by the deer keeper to put the animal down. The area was cleared and this was carried out safely and discreetly.
“The deer’s behaviour was unfortunately as a result of people feeding and petting the deer against advice. We take animal welfare very seriously and have been actively engaging with visitors on social media and onsite, with both Knole Estate and National Trust staff regularly patrolling the park in efforts to educate visitors.”
But welfare group Animal Rights in Kent feels the deer should not have been slain because of human error. Its spokesman said: “If people go up to wild animals and ignore the signs, it’s not the fault of the deer if the people get hurt.
“It’s outrageous. People should observe the deer from a distance. People need to understand how wild animals behave.”