Dog savages prized pet stag called Rudolph to death after gang breaks into nursery with knife - and torment animal 'for amusement'

UNITED KINGDOM -- Police are hunting a cruel gang who broke into an enclosure and let their dog savage a pet stag to death.

The prized animal, called Rudolph, was found dead with its throat ripped out on Saturday morning after a pit bull-type dog violently attacked it.

 

The offenders broke into the enclosure at Jacksons Nurseries, in Bagnall, Staffordshire, and set the  vicious animal on the defenceless stag.

Staffordshire Police are now studying CCTV footage which shows four people with a dog breaking into a fenced off area with wire cutters at around 12.30am on Saturday.

Rudolph’s owners Roger and Ruth Jackson keep deer as an attraction for visiting families and believe the attack was carried out simply for the amusement of those involved. Mr Jackson, 56, said: 'It’s absolutely tragic, it’s heartbreaking.

'We’ve kept these deer for 20 years and they’re family pets really.

'The deer are really popular with the children who visit. They called the stag Rudolph - they thought he was a reindeer.

'He was definitely the star attraction because of his huge antlers.

'The stag was five feet to the shoulder and he’s had a section of his throat completely ripped out, so it must have been an exceptionally powerful dog.

'There’s no doubt that this was simply about sport, it wasn’t about obtaining meat.'

The Jacksons were first alerted to the break-in when the terrified stag broke through the enclosure fence and set off the nursery’s alarm system.

But when they arrived to investigate just before 1am the gang had already fled the scene.

It was only when the Jacksons returned later in the morning that they found the stag’s body at 8am.

Ruth, 55, said: 'If this dog was capable of doing this to a 220kg stag, it makes you wonder what it would do to a child.

'The police officer told us that there had been a similar incident at Foxt (a village in Staffordshire) where four hinds were killed.

'It is very sad, he was such a character once when he was rutting he picked up a pink feed bucket and had it on his antlers trying to attract the ladies.

'He was born at the nursery a few years ago and we have fed him by hand.

'We think the alarm disturbed the offenders otherwise they would have gone for all seven deer so Rudolph saved the others, it is tragic'

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: 'We are investigating this incident and officers are liaising with our wildlife crime officer.'

The Jacksons are offering a £1,000 reward for any information which leads to the arrest and conviction of any of the offenders.

(Daily Mail - Feb 3, 2014)