A Hampton woman sustained a cracked rib and a puncture wound after being knocked to the ground by a stag in Bushy Park.

Park authorities responded to the incident by warning of the dangers of deer in the rutting season.

Elly King, 59, of Burtons Road, was attacked by the deer as she walked from Hampton Hill gate to meet her family in Woodland Gardens on Saturday afternoon.

She said: "I'm a small woman; I just didn't stand a chance."

The stag charged without warning from a large herd grazing close by and a shocked Mrs King blacked-out as the deer struck her. She said: "Luckily there was a couple passing by who called an ambulance."

"I was on a properly marked path," said Mrs King, "I can only assume he was protecting his harem."

Mrs King was treated at West Middlesex Hospital for the cracked rib and centimetre-deep puncture wound to her bottom. She also sustained extensive bruising.

Mrs King, a book designer who has been unable to work this week due to her injuries, said: "I've lived here for over 17 years and I've never thought to be wary of the park deer. You see the signs and you think they apply only to dog walkers. Had I been a child or a baby in a buggy...well, god knows."

A Royal Parks spokesman agreed that the deer are more sensitive during the rutting season: "Path or no path, you don't approach the deer at this time of year. They will attack. They are wild animals and as such, their behaviour is not predictable."

The park's spokesman expressed concern over Mrs King's shock, but suggested that the incident might serve as a warning to others enjoying the parks.

"The important thing to bear in mind is to give the deer space."

A witness to the incident later contacted Richmond Park management to enquire after Mrs King and claimed she had walked away from the path and right up to the herd.

"I was close, that's why I feel such a fool," said Mrs King.

Mrs King and illustrator husband Christopher, 53, vow to continue to walk in the park but will give the deer a wide-berth in future.