Singer kicked by deer as she posed for photo says she was left bruised in ‘terrifying’ attack
A TERRIFIED woman was attacked by a deer in a busy park.
Singer Gemma Louisianna, 28, was booted while posing for a music promo photoshoot in Richmond Park, South West London.
Royal Parks Police tweeted a snap of the attack and warned people to keep their distance in rutting season when they are aggressive.
But Gemma, of nearby Wimbledon, said she was not near the deer and did not feed it when it approached.
Gemma, who works as an estate agent, added: "I absolutely did not approach the deer to pose for a picture with it, and I did not feed it.
“It was scary. My back is sore and I have a few bruises.
“One deer started to come towards me and was eating some food out of one of my bags, which I thought was funny initially.
“I did then think to move my other bag, but by then the deer was coming closer to me and it didn’t seem aggressive at first.
“When it was approaching me I didn’t run away or approach it as I didn’t want to startle or scare it.
“I was terrified when it started coming closer to me, it didn’t seem as friendly anymore but I didn't want to make it worse.
“Suddenly it was behind me and had shoved me with its front legs, and I’d never experienced anything like it.
“By this point I was scared and moved quickly away from the deer, but a ranger came over to me and said that I shouldn’t be near them because it's rutting season.
"The ranger didn't check if I was okay, and just walked away after telling me off and they just didn't seem to care about what happened to me.
“I walked through that park for hours every day when I was on furlough with my dogs, and now I’m a bit scared to go back after what happened and how I was treated."
Park manager Simon Richards said: “Deer are wild and unpredictable animals.”
He added: “On Sunday, a woman was jumped on by a hind (female deer) when she got far too close.
I absolutely did not approach the deer to pose for a picture with it, and I did not feed it.
Gemma Louisanna
“We were informed by eyewitnesses that prior to the incident she was feeding the deer. We understand that the woman was not seriously injured and we sincerely hope she is ok.
“This incident serves as a powerful warning that deer are wild and unpredictable animals and a minimum 50 metre distance must be adhered to at all times.
“This is especially important as we are in the middle of rutting reason, when male deer are flooded with testosterone and adrenaline.
“It’s also important to stress that deer do not require feeding from the public. Both Richmond and Bushy Parks provide ample natural food for deer that are suited to their nutritional needs.
“By feeding deer you are doing them more harm than good, and putting yourself in unnecessary danger at the same time.”
Gemma has denied she was posing for a selfie with one of the animals.
She said: "I absolutely did not take any selfies, and I stood 50 meters away from the deer, and it approached me.
“There are no pictures of me petting or feeding the deer on my Instagram, because I wouldn’t do that.
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“The first I heard of the photo was after my friends told me that it had been posted on a few websites.
“I was really angry and upset to see that they had claimed I was taking a selfie and basically being stupid, when the picture shows that’s not the case at all.
“The ranger just came and told me that I shouldn’t be going near them because it was rutting season, and I like most people had no idea what that was.
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“Instead of trying to help me or make sure I was okay he just left me there."
She is now calling for signs to be put up in the park to warn members of the public when rutting season is taking place, to keep everyone safe.
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