Timaru, New Zealand – Belgian tourist Frank De Clercq thought the New Zealand countryside was safe – till he found himself wrestling a wild stag in the Lindis Pass yesterday.

He and his wife, Mia, pulled into a rest area and spotted the deer. Within seconds the animal was sticking its head into the car.

"I thought it was begging for a cookie," he said, not realising it was the mating season, during which tags could become aggressive.

Mr De Clercq, 65, called to his wife to take a photo of him feeding the animal as he thought it was "very beautiful".

"It sniffed and became very aggressive," he said.

He got out of the car and grabbed the deer by the antlers to push it away. But the stag kept trying to attack him. He recalled a rodeo programme he had seen on the television and got the animal under his arm, in a headlock. As he twisted its head, it began to fall to the ground.

Mr De Clercq was too scared to let go in case he was gored. A tearful Mrs De Clercq began throwing bread and fruit at the animal, hoping it would be more interested in the food than her husband. At one stage the stag had Mr De Clercq on the ground.

Mr De Clercq eventually stunned the stag by hitting it between the eyes with a stone.

Safely back in the car the couple drove to Omarama, where Mr De Clercq was seen by a doctor.

Mr and Mrs De Clercq said they were looking forward to sharing the story with their friends back home.

(From "The Evening Post", New Zealand. 5-April-1997. NZPA)