Injured deer put down by RSPCA officers in Melton play area

Residents posted on social media that the animal was in distress and some claimed that children had been chasing it in the park, adjacent to the borough council’s Fairmead Estate, off Nottingham Road.

The council posted on their Facebook page that they were aware of the ‘distressed’ deer on the Sunnybrook Play Area on Dieppe Way and they advised residents and children to stay away from the area while RSPCA officers assessed the situation.

And on Friday, the council confirmed that nothing could be done to help the animal so a decision was taken to humanely put it to sleep.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA told the Melton Times: “Sadly this deer had a severely broken leg and was very clearly in pain and suffering as a result of the injuries.

“The deer had previously been assessed by another wildlife charity, and a vet and the local council were also aware.

“Our officer had consulted with the relevant parties and it was agreed the deer should be put to sleep to prevent further suffering.

“We completely understand how upsetting it must be for members of the public who were hoping for a more positive outcome but unfortunately sometimes the animals we are called to rescue cannot be saved and we have to make the difficult decision to euthanise them to prevent them suffering further.

“We'll always do our best to rehabilitate wild animals and our staff and volunteers work tirelessly to rehabilitate thousands of rescued wild animals every year and release them back to the wild."

Councillor Sharon Butcher said she responded to the incident after seeing it on social media – she called the Crescent Vets but they were sadly unable to help the animal with it ‘being so wild’.

Councillor Butcher called on parents to advise their children against ill treating animals.

She added: “Sadly, children had been chasing the deer for weeks.

“It is so sad because we should be teaching our kids to act better towards animals.”