The woman who was gored by a stag in the Highlands has undergone an operation to try to repair damage to her windpipe.
Kate Stone, 44, from Cambridge, was injured by the animal at Lochailort near Fort William in the early hours of Monday.
She was treated by paramedics before being taken to Fort William’s Belford hospital, and later transferred by air to the Southern General in Glasgow.
A statement released by a colleague at Dr Stone’s print firm, Novalia, said she had an operation late yesterday afternoon to try to repair damage to her trachea, (windpipe).
It continued: “The operation went well and she remained stable throughout.
“The doctors made a decision to keep her in an induced coma for the next week to minimise any movement that may rupture the wound.
“She remains in a stable condition and she is now in the healing process from the first operation.
“Her family are with her over this new year period and all her friends are continuing to offer support.”
A north musician yesterday described the terrifying moment the stag charged out of the darkness and gored the Cambridge University academic.
Ms Stone was with a group of friends on holiday in Lochaber, and were walking from the Lochailort Inn to the home of guitarist Jim Hunter.
Mr Hunter, 50, said: “The six of us were walking the few hundred yards down to my house in the darkness using two torches.
“I had accidentally left the gate to my garden open behind me.
“Normally I keep it closed to prevent the local deer population getting in to the garden and eating all my plants.
“The stag would have been munching my shrubs and would have heard us approaching and panicked.
“Suddenly we heard the drumming of hooves and out of the night came this big black beast and it ripped right into us.
“There were shouts and screams of horror and fear but it was all over in seconds.
“It felled Kate before vanishing into the night.”
Ms Stone is a research engineer at Cambridge’s institute of manufacturing, and also has her own hi-tech printing company musician.
The surrounding sporting estate is owned by hedge-fund expert Tim Leslie, 50, of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.
He also owns Flichity Estate near Inverness and the Lochailort Inn.
Ms Stone was said to be in a serious but stable condition yesterday.