(Newser)
– A hunter in Ireland died on Tuesday after a pet deer feeding him attacked him, the Irish examiner reports. Gerard Withers, described as a “recognized hunter,” was encouraged and trampled by the deer at Liscarroll’s Duhallow Hunt Kennels, according to the Irish Independent, which notes that male deer become aggressive during the breeding season from September to December. Deer and other animals are often kept in kennels, so fox dogs are familiar with them and do not chase them during hunts, according to the Examiner.
Withers, a married father of three young children, was found after friends cared about him when he did not return to feed the animal. The 45-year-old did not respond. He was given emergency medical care, but was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. “It happened all of a sudden,” a friend tells him Independent. “Something like that can’t be predicted to happen. We’re all devastated. We’ve lost a good man and a good hunter.” (Read more stories of animal attacks.)