Woman may be paralysed after being gored through the neck by giant stag while on holiday in the Highlands Dr Kate Stone may never walk after being attacked by the animal Stag charged at woman and pierced her spinal chord with its antlers A spokesman said the woman was in 'serious but stable' The 30-year-old who has a PhD in sciences may never walk again A local gamekeeper described the incident as 'one in a million' A Cambridge academic may never walk again after a wild stag pierced her throat with its antlers in a 'one in a million' attack in the Highlands. Dr Kate Stone, who was born a man, was standing with a group of friends when the animal charged at her in the early hours on Monday. The 30-year-old is in a 'serious but stable' condition after the incident in Lochailort near Fort William. Dr Kate Stone was attacked by the animal in the early hours of Monday. Its antlers pierced the woman's throat, leaving her in critical condition Dr Stone, who has a PhD in physics and micro-electronics, was standing outside the home of musician Jim Hunter at the time of the attack. Witnesses say the animal emerged from darkness and reportedly singled out the woman who, at 6ft, was the tallest in the group. After impaling her on its antlers, it shook itself free and vanished into the surrounding trees and moorlands. Dr Stone was left lying on the floor in a pool of blood, though friends thought she had simply been knocked over in the darkness. They had been at a ceilidh on Sunday night before being invited back to Mr Hunter's home. He told Cambridge news: 'We had been to the pub up the road and were coming back to my house through the gate in the darkness and the big stag must have got trapped in the garden as we have deer fences around it. It must have panicked when it saw us and the only way out was through the gate that we were standing at. It just ran at us and went straight through us and its antlers must have caught Kate in the neck. The group had been at a ceilidh at the Lochailort Inn (pictured) before being invited to Mr Hunter's home where the attack occurred There was blood coming from her neck and we took her inside. The paramedics came in about 20 minutes which is good as we are a bit isolated here, and gave her oxygen. A spokesman for Southern General Hospital said the woman was in a 'serious but stable' condition this morning. A gamekeeper in Lochailort with more than 40 years of experience with Highland stags said he'd never heard of such an attack. For a stag to come out of the darkness like this and go for someone is highly unusual - a chance in a million. You can get old stags that are past it and hang about houses, and they can appear threatening at times. Dr Stone and her friends were visiting the area as part of a three-day festive holiday, and were staying at the nearby Mo-Dhachaidh Guest House. Owner Gary Burton told Mail Online this morning: 'I understand Kate is critical in the hospital's intensive care unit. No one here has heard of anything like this in their lifetime, it has shocked the community. This particular deer is known in the village. There are deer that frequent the same places, and this is one that a few people know of, but they are very peaceful. They are a part of life up here. It's likely this one became panicked when it saw the group who were approaching the gate. A young stag pictured crossing the road in Fort William where Dr Stone was staying with friends before the attack It had nowhere else to go but through the group and unfortunately it seems Kate was in the way. Dr Stone was due to travel to Dundee to visit her sister today before returning to England. 'Everyone I know and have spoken to wishes Kate a full recovery,' added Mr Burton. One of her favourite things is to get out in the hills. It would be tragic if she has that taken away from her because of this. Dr Stone works as a research engineer at The University of Cambridge's Institute of Manufacturing. In 2007 the electronics graduate transitioned from being a man to a woman after 'struggling' through school.