These images of a small dog angrily confronting a stag provide new evidence of the interference with wildlife in Richmond's Royal Parks.

The remarkable pictures, taken earlier this week by professional photographer Max Ellis, show a French bulldog snarling at the much larger stag.

The news surfaced after the distressing death of a young deer by dog attack in Richmond Park just after 9am on Saturday morning.

The images of the latest confrontation were taken on Monday morning by professional photographer and illustrator, Max Ellis, and uploaded to photo sharing website blipfoto.com with the caption 'Keep your dog on a lead when near the deer'.

Mr Ellis expanded on this on Twitter, saying: "Dog owners. Keep your animals on a lead at this time of the year in the #royalparks. The rut comes on quickly and the stags are much less tolerant and will attack when provoked."

Mr Ellis, the lead photographer for the Glastonbury festival for seven years, told Richmond Nub News: "The dog, who was not known to me, was very excited by the stag and approached it barking. The owner tried to call it back, but it didn't respond.

"I've seen dogs chase the deer on many occasions. It's natural for dogs to chase deer and poorly trained animals find them irresistible. The official guidelines state you should call the park police if you see a dog attacking the deer.

"As far as measures that can be implemented to prevent attacks, what can you do, apart from tell people again and again to control their animals and treat the deer with respect and keep your distance especially at this time of year."

Mr Ellis, who took the photos in Bushy Park, said he has even seen a father encouraging his three young sons to pose next to an obviously irritated stag.

He added: "During the rut and mating season these wild animals become increasingly aggressive and focused on the business of fighting and mating and anything that gets in the way could quiet possibly find themselves on the sharp end of an antler."

The pictures have been met with outrage online with one person saying: "This makes me so cross, when will people learn that deer are not domesticated pets and dogs must be kept away from them."

The incidents have sparked debate about the behaviour of dog owners and their pets and whether there is a need for new laws requiring them to use leads at all times.

There is also concern that some people treat the park as some sort of petting zoo, even feeding the deer despite Royal Parks guidelines telling people to keep a distance of 50m from the animals.

Simon Richards, park manager for Richmond Park, said owners must keep their pets on a lead if they can't behave without one.

'"We take the welfare of our deer very seriously," he said.

"Our message is clear; if you cannot control your dog then always ensure it is on a lead. Otherwise dog walkers may face prosecution.

"If you witness a dog chasing a deer, immediately call the on-call police for Richmond and Bushy Parks on 07920 586546."