Greenham Common deer killed after mauling from police dog

The deer had to be put down following the incident, which occurred at around 5pm after the animal had strayed into a fenced off area where police dogs are trained.
An eyewitness who asked not to be named contacted the Newbury Weekly News to say while out on a walk with friends at the beauty spot he heard children screaming near the grassed bunkers at the Common and went to investigate.
“Through the fence we could see a large German shepherd dog,” he said.
“It was mauling this deer, it completely ripped its jaw off and it was flailing it around. When it was over the guy came along and collected the dog. It was horrible, it shouldn’t have happened, there were around 20-25 people there looking on at the end. What is most concerning is if that dog got out with all the people there. If it had got loose, there were kids around, it wasn’t very nice for any of them to see anyway.”
Thames Valley Police spokeswoman Lucy Billen said a dog was being exercised when it spotted a wild deer which had wandered into the enclosure.
“The animal was chased by the dog and collided with the perimeter fence,” she said.
“The dog’s handler located the deer and found that it had sustained injuries consistent with dog bites. He then immediately arranged for a vet to attend to the deer. It was taken to the vet’s surgery where it was treated but it had sustained an injury to its mouth that necessitated it being put down.
“The dog remained within the perimeter fence at all times. This perimeter fence is checked regularly to ensure it is completely secure.”
She added that Thames Valley Police was currently investigating the circumstances of this incident.