Vet slams Hackney Council over Clissold Park deer deaths

Is Clissold Park suitable for its resident deer? Photo: © Izzie Tran

The post-mortem report into the deaths of two deer in Clissold Park last month has been branded ‘damning’ by campaigners.

The report itself was compiled by Hackney Council’s veterinary consultant Peter Green after the deaths of two deer last month.

The remaining deer are currently being housed in a temporary enclosure whilst renovation work is carried out across the park.

On 13 February a dog got into the enclosure and was seen chasing the deer. The next day a doe was found dead. The post-mortem examination revealed that “the cause of death was traumatic injury to the head and throat caused by a carnivore, presumed to have been a dog.”

A week later, another doe died, this time of heavy internal haemorrhaging, most likely bought on by stress sustained in the incident on 13 February.

In his report, Mr Green states that: “It is impossible to come to any conclusion other than that there was a failure on the part of the staff or contractors to ensure that the fence was fully dog-proof.

“It is also very disappointing indeed that the arrangements for emergency call-out and for 24 hour veterinary attention were not implemented on the evening of 13 February when the deer was seen to be recumbent but still alive and when the dog attack was known to have occurred.

“It is impossible for me to defend or to justify the lapse in basic husbandry that allowed a dog access to the deer enclosure.”

Julia Mazza, of Clissold Park Zoo Watch (CPZW), said that those in charge “are incapable of providing acceptable day-to-day care of the animals.”

She went on to criticise the slow response to the death of the first deer: “What is the point in having a veterinary contract if the staff don’t call the experts in a crisis?

“The deer have suffered regular stress from which they cannot quickly recover due to the exposed design of their tiny pen.

“Under the Animal Welfare Act, Hackney Council has a duty of care for the animals it owns, and it is bound by law to protect them from vandals and dogs. The Council must not cause the animals to be “terrified” as the Act puts it.”

Clissold Park Zoo Watch are holding a picket at the deer pen on 19 March in an effort to get the ‘zoo’ closed down.

Caroline Allen, clinical director of Canonbury Veterinary Practice,  blasted the state of the temporary enclosure: “he number of dogs that are exercised regularly off the lead in Clissold Park means that this was a predictable event.

“The fact that a severely injured animal was then left to die without any veterinary attention is unacceptable and there is no doubt that animal suffered unnecessarily.”

The new enclosure being built for the deer has fallen far behind schedule, and Mr Green says this continues to put the animals at greater risk from attack: “I am very concerned that the reconstruction work has fallen so far behind schedule and that the deer continue to rely for security upon a temporary fence, which neither the staff nor the contractors have been unable to maintain in a dog-proof condition.”

In response to the deer deaths, Councillor Jonathan McShane, Cabinet Member for Community Services said: “We know this is a very sad time for everyone involved with Clissold Park and the deer. We fully accept all the findings of the report and know that we must do everything we can to safeguard and protect the deer in Clissold Park while the new enclosure is finished.”