Stag shot dead by police in school grounds

A deer has been shot dead by police after it was spotted roaming in a school's grounds.

South Yorkshire Police said they were called to reports the "stag was posing a danger to pupils, staff, and other members of the public" near Greenhill Primary School in Sheffield on Monday morning.

Officers were advised by a deer manager and specialist vet that a tranquiliser could not be used to sedate the animal as it would not take effect immediately.

Although the deer had moved on from the school, due to the "ongoing danger" a decision was taken to "humanely dispatch the animal out of view of the public".

Janey, 41, whose son is a pupil at the school, told the BBC: "It's really sad that he's come out and got lost and got scared and it's had to end the way it did.

"I don't know how long he was out for, but if it was over a longer period, perhaps something should've been done sooner and more humanely and didn't have to end with him dying."

The armed response also attracted some criticism on social media.

One person posted on Facebook: "The kids at Greenhill School will be very upset, my thoughts are why couldn't they have found a way to save him."

Another said: "I’m so shocked they shot this beautiful animal and disgusted it was frightened to death and had obviously lost its way."

The force added: "We appreciate these incidents cause concern for the local community, and these decisions are never taken lightly."

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