Rare White Deer Killed After Leading Police on 9-Hour Chase Through Town

Police killed a rare white deer on Sunday after it led officers on a nine-hour chase through an English town. Despite animal welfare experts' advice to leave the deer alone, police defended their decision, claiming it was made in the interest of public safety.

The white stag was first spotted in Bootle, Merseyside on Sunday morning, reported the BBC.

A local tweeted a photo of the deer, which can be viewed here.

White deer spotted in the U.K. tend to be fallow deer, said the British Deer Society (BDS) on its website. According to Wildlife Trusts, fallow deer are native to Asia but were introduced to the U.K. in the 11th century. Now, they are the most common species of deer in England.

Common fallow deer have a spotted coat; however, the species does vary in color. Still, white fallows are not seen often.

The Royal Society of Prevention to Cruelty of Animals (RSPCA) told Merseyside Police to "leave the deer as it would make its own way back home," said the BBC. But the police did not want to let the deer wander, as it could hurt motorists. So, officers attempted to capture the rare stag.

Eventually, police managed to secure the deer on an industrial estate, and called a veterinarian to monitor its wellbeing, the BBC said. But officers were unable "to find an organization who could assist with recovering the deer safely." Over time, the deer became more and more "distressed."

"In conjunction with advice from a local vet the attempts over nine hours were made to tranquilize the deer and a rural location was identified to safely transfer it, to minimize further distress and ensure its safety," Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley said in a public statement Tuesday.

"Despite several tranquilizer darts being successfully deployed into the deer, this failed to sedate the animal," he continued.

At 6:35 p.m., the police made the decision to kill the animal.

"All the officers at the scene were absolutely gutted at having to shoot the animal. The officers had been engaged for nine hours at the incident and had been actively trying to capture the deer for more than five hours so were totally committed to relocating the animal," Critchley said.

"However, we had to ensure that a distressed deer did not present any danger to public safety."

Though some residents were reportedly upset with the decision, Critchley concluded by stating he was proud of his officers.

"I respect people will have different views, but I can categorically say every single effort was made to save and relocate the deer and I am proud of all my officers who were involved in this difficult and challenging incident," he said.

The U.K. is home to approximately 2 million deer. And while they have become more prevalent in urban areas, it is against the law to kill deer without a proper license. Additionally, motorists can not use their cars to chase deer.