Pet stag attacks and kills owner
A pet deer has killed a man and left a woman fighting for her life after it attacked the couple at their property in Victoria.
A pet deer has killed a man and left a woman fighting for her life in hospital after it attacked the couple at their property in northeast Victoria.
Paul McDonald, 46, has been identified as the man killed when a stag, kept as a pet, attacked its owners at the property in Moyhu, south of Wangaratta, about 8.20am yesterday.
His 45-year-old wife, Mandi McDonald, suffered upper body and leg injuries before their teenage son reportedly hit the deer with a lump of wood.
Ms McDonald was flown to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition. The deer was put down.
Police said Mr McDonald had gone into the pen with the deer when it attacked.
“His wife and son heard the commotion and went out to see what was going on,” Acting Senior Sergeant Paul Pursell said yesterday.
“His wife entered the enclosure to assist her husband and she was also attacked.”
A neighbour called emergency services, and police officers shot the deer when they arrived at the scene where paramedics were treating Ms McDonald.
Friends of the couple have described Mr McDonald as “a bit of a character”. His death has devastated Moyhu, a community of 445 people.
Sergeant Pursell said deer behaviour could be unpredictable and “people have got to weigh up whether it’s worth the risk of keeping them as domestic (pets)”.
The couple’s son and daughter have travelled to Melbourne to be at Ms McDonald’s bedside. “The family are just devastated. There is a large family network and the ones we’ve spoken to, it’s beyond words how affected they are,” Sergeant Pursell said.
Australian Deer Association president David Voss said farmed deer tended to be more aggressive than wild deer, but he had heard of similar attacks only “very occasionally”.
The association said male deer can become more aggressive and dangerous during mating season, which had begun.
Additional reporting: AAP
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