After invading a primary school’s premises and “posing a danger to staff and pupils,” a huge deer was shot dead by police marksmen.
Stunned drivers in Sheffield saw the stag prancing beside a busy major road adjacent to a housing estate on Monday morning (November 11). Later, the pack animal was seen in the Batemoor and Jordanthorpe districts, where onlookers reported that it nearly got struck by a car.
Police were deployed when the deer made its way onto the grounds of Greenhill Primary School, in the South of the city, over fears pupils could be in “danger”. Armed officers later decided to shoot the stag after a vet said a tranquiliser “would not take effect immediately.”
“At 8.28am today (Monday, November 11), officers responded to reports of an animal concern at Greenhill Primary School, Sheffield,” stated a spokesman for South Yorkshire Police. A stag reportedly made its way onto school property, endangering students, faculty, and other visitors.
When officers arrived and spoke with a specialist veterinarian and deer manager, they were told that the animal could not be tranquillized since it would not take effect right away. The stag was removed from the school grounds, but because of the continued risk to the public, it was decided to humanely put the animal out of sight.
“We acknowledge that the local community is concerned about these instances, and these judgements are never taken lightly.”
On social media, one person posted: “The public is not in risk from them. When I go for a walk, I frequently notice them. Two young stags were in a tiny field when I crossed it, and they were more startled to see me. They moved to the opposite side of the field and remained there until I had left.
They had the option to harm me, but they choose not to. The experience of being so close to them was lovely.
“They didn’t have to kill it; they could have contained it somewhere,” another person commented.
The British Deer Society, a conservation charity, backed the police’s actions after the event, claiming that the animals can be “unpredictable.”
Charles Smith-Jones, the organization’s technical advisor, told a local newspaper: “The police will have had to take into account a number of factors, including public safety, the law, and animal welfare.” Before choosing not to try to capture a large and extremely stressed wild animal, I’m sure they would have carefully weighed all of their choices and conducted a risk assessment.
Even when a tranquillized animal is darted in a relaxed state, it cannot be guaranteed to become immobile right away. In this instance, the high amounts of adrenaline in an already stressed-out deer would have likely made matters worse.
“Under trying circumstances, those in charge had to make difficult decisions, and this was definitely not the outcome anyone would have wanted.”
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