A deer that “had never shown any signs of attacking” appears to have killed an agricultural worker in the Alentejo.
GNR police and the authority for work accidents are said to be investigating while the deer itself is ‘in parts unknown’.
The shocking story was first reported as simply “an animal” having attacked the worker.
Indeed, initially it was believed that the attack may have come from one of the cattle and other animals that 62-year-old António Alves used to look after.
But today, reports suggest it was a lone deer that had been seen before at Herdade da Atalaia in Alcáçovas, Viana do Alentejo, although it had never shown any signs of being aggressive.
A friend of the dead man who had gone looking for him – concerned that he hadn’t returned from his normal round of duties – discovered the deer not far from his friend’s body, and had to “take refuge in a place of safety” due to the fact that the deer then turned on him.
“The animal ended up running off”, say reports.
Emergency firefighters called to the scene said the victim was already in cardiorespiratory arrest showing “multiple fractures from what was a violent attack”.
Death was declared at the scene.
