A savage dog attack on a young deer has horrified visitors to a popular Perthshire beauty spot.
The stunned onlookers at the Hermitage, near Dunkeld, say they watched as the large dog mauled the fawn, leaving a bloodied carcass on the banks of the River Braan.
Concerned that the dog may pose a danger to the public, one of the witnesses to the frenzied attack contacted The Courier to highlight the worrying incident.
Our source, who does not wish to be named, had been at the Hermitage to take advantage of the spring weather when they became aware of a strange noise.
“We heard a squeal similar to a peacock call,” they said. “We noticed a woman looking across the river and also went to look. She and two or three other passers-by also looked but soon moved on, commenting on how distressing it was.
“It turned out to be a deer being killed by a dog on the opposite side of the river.”
The visitor used their camera to capture these images of the animals to send on to Tayside Police when they returned to their Dundee home on Saturday afternoon.
Although they were initially concerned that the dog was wild, they have since been told by officers that it could actually be a pet. However, our source said there was no owner present as the attack took place and the large dog was not called off at any time.
“I would have expected the owner to try calling it off but there was no sign of anyone doing that and that was one factor that led to us concluding that it could be wild,” they added.
“I suppose that someone out walking with the dog may have let it run free and not even been aware of what it was doing.
“The other factor that suggested it might be wild was the way it appeared to be trying to tear at the flesh, which we presumed it was eating, rather than simply killing the deer. When I returned at the end of the walk little appeared to remain but I realise that scavengers may also have been at the body in the intervening hours.”
While the witness is keen not to spread panic, they hope to alert locals and visitors to what they feel could be a potential hazard.
Because the dog appeared unafraid of the people watching the incident from across the river they are worried that it may be capable of attacking any young children visiting the popular tourist spot.
“I was concerned that, if it was wild, then there might be a potential danger to farm animals, or possibly even to young children,” they said. “If it is someone’s pet there may be a question about the owner letting it run free so it can kill in this way, but that is a different issue.”
A police spokesman confirmed that they had received correspondence from the witness and that they would be carrying out inquiries.