A baby deer was killed after it was subjected to a 'savage' attack by two dogs which left two children who witnessed it 'traumatised'.

Omeed Qodrat and his family were walking through farmland at the end of Norreys Road in Cumnor when they saw a small deer.

But a few minutes later they heard 'aggressive barking' and witnessed the animal being savagely mauled by two dogs.

Mr Qodrat, who was holding the children's hands, said: "As we walked on to the field, we saw a beautiful little deer standing there.

READ MORE: Trial date set as woman charged with murder

"Of course it's a timid animal and as we got closer it began to run away.

Oxford Mail: Field where the attack happened

"I was walking while holding the hands of two toddlers so was very limited in terms of taking pictures or even getting too close to the action.

"A few minutes later a lady walked by with a Dalmatian and not too long later a chase took place across the field.

"The Dalmatian and another dog were chasing this poor defenceless deer."

Mr Qodrat believes the dogs killed the deer in the attack.

"The chase took about three minutes until finally the deer was savagely mauled down," he said. "Then the Dalmatian started dragging around what looked like a lifeless rag doll at that point."

He added: "The owners of both dogs could see their dogs were chasing and attacking the deer and did absolutely nothing about it.

"My children and I were distressed, saddened and traumatised by what we witnessed.

"I didn't hang around to see what happened next and what the dog owners did with the deer corpse."

Mr Qodrat has since reported the incident which happened just before 9am on Saturday (March 16) to the British Deer Society, hoping that they will take steps to destroy the dogs "and begin civil proceedings against the owners of these vicious animals".

READ MORE: Face of man jailed for threatening victim with knife is revealed

However, the British Deer Society said there is no legal requirement to report such incidents as wild deer are not treated as anyone’s property under the law.

In some instances, civil proceedings might be possible under the Dogs Act 1871 if it can be proven that a dog was dangerous and not kept under proper control. 

If it is believed deliberate cruelty was involved it might be appropriate to contact the police or the landowner to enquire whether they might pursue the matter. 

But the society said it is was "sorry to hear that you experienced such a distressing incident" and is "deeply concerned about the effects of uncontrolled dogs on wildlife and in particular the chasing of deer" which has increased with a rise in dog ownership since the pandemic.