Bishop's Stortford wildlife rescuers in bid to find muntjac mauled by dog in Pishiobury Park in Sawbridgeworth

Horrified wildlife lovers have slammed an owner who allowed his dog to maul a muntjac in Sawbridgeworth.

The dog, believed to be a lurcher or whippet type breed, was seen flushing out the deer from the undergrowth in Pishiobury Park before getting hold of its leg.

The pair then disappeared into bushes, where the muntjac was heard screaming in pain while the dog owner looked on helplessly.

It is not known whether the deer survived, despite Natalie Mills, from Bishop's Stortford Wildlife Rescue group, searching for it after hearing the shocking news.

The incident on Friday (March 3) was reported to Bob Reed, chairman of Friends of Pishiobury Park, who said it happened in the osier beds area of the park, which is fenced off.

Bob said there was a hole in the fencing there which he had tried to block with hazel poles. He was concerned by the attack as the park's cattle are due to return in the spring.

"It's an out-of-bounds area as it's treacherous," said Bob, who last year finally achieved Local Nature Reserve status for the park after a long-running campaign.

He said the park was home to a "good population" of muntjac and a healthy population of rabbits, despite their numbers elsewhere being reduced by disease.

The grazing of traditional cattle has taken place in Pishiobury for centuries and their annual return is welcomed by park users.

Natalie was keen to discover what had happened to the muntjac, but searches in the park proved fruitless. "I wanted to ensure that it wasn't lying around injured," she said.

After a conversation with East Herts Council, Bob Reed said there was a plan to involve local dog training group DOGability to help avoid incidents such as this.

Adrienne Critchlow, who runs DOGability, told the Indie she had been considering holding training workshops for dog owners in preparation for the return of the cattle.

She refuted claims that lurcher-type dogs, which have been bred to hunt hare, could not be trained to resist attacking wildlife.

"It's about helping the owner understand the dog they have and to learn to train the dog they have – you must take appropriate action," said Adrienne.

Natalie added: "If you've got a dog that is likely to chase wildlife it should be muzzled or kept on a long lead."