Newport: Deer spotted walking around Gaer area of city

The deer was spotted by Karen Wilkinson and her family

Oh deer - this animal appears to be lost.

The deer was spotted walking around the Gaer area of Newport on Friday morning at 07:00 BST.

Karen Wilkinson, 49, said her son woke up, opened his curtains and shouted: "Mum, quick, what's this on the drive?"

The British Deer Society said it is a Muntjac, a species of deer introduced to the UK from China in the late 19th century, and is more common in Wales than people may imagine.

"This morning, my son called me and lifted his blinds up before he went to work," said Karen.

"I went into his bedroom, and said 'what's the matter?' - and there's a deer running round my drive and next door's drive.

"I run into my husband who was fast asleep in the bedroom and I said 'quick, get up quick, there's a deer outside'."

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The family got up, and ran outside.

"My husband grabbed the dog biscuits to entice it," said Karen.

"It was running up and down the street and then ran over the road into a hedge. We waited for a bit then to see if it ran back out, but we lost sight of it then.

"It was great. It was like I'd got a new pet - I would have had him in the house but I don't think my husband would have allowed that."

Charles Smith-Jones, from the British Deer Society, said: "Newport is on the edge of their known distribution in south east Wales although they are regularly recorded around Chepstow and further to the north west - otherwise they are not commonly seen in much of Wales.

"Muntjac are increasingly reported living contentedly close to and even within developed areas as long as they remain relatively undisturbed and have appropriate food and cover available.

"Many people are not even aware of their presence as they favour thick cover and most movement tends to be during the hours of darkness."

Mr Smith-Jones said Muntjac deer are the only deer found in Britain that can breed all year round.

However, he said: "Regrettably they are not entirely welcome in this country as they are considered invasive, under the Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, it is an offence to release them into the wild or keep them in captivity."