DENVER (KDVR) — An aggressive mother deer was shot dead after stomping at a pregnant woman’s dogs and charging her on Friday evening, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The agency reported the woman heard screaming from her fenced-in backyard in an area of unincorporated El Paso County, northwest of Colorado Springs, and found her two dogs “getting stomped by a deer.” The woman reportedly tried to scare the deer away, but it instead turned and charged at her.
CPW said the woman’s father then came outside and shot the deer with rubber buckshot that CPW had previously provided as bear deterrents. Buckshot is classified as a nonlethal hazing round, but the deer “ignored the shots, continuing to charge toward the woman as she tried to get away, so her father shot and killed the deer.”
Afterward, a fawn, believed to be the deer’s young, was found nearby and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center. The fawn will be raised there and released back into the wild, according to CPW.
Using lethal force to protect human health from wildlife is legal in Colorado. CPW has investigated and will not issue a citation for this incident.
“Deer, elk and moose can become aggressive in the late spring and early summer when their young are first born and defenseless,” said Tim Kroening, CPW’s Area Wildlife Manager for the Pikes Peak region, in a release. “The majority of aggressive behavior from these animals in some way involves a dog, who they see as a predator and threat to their young.”
CPW has been raising awareness about the dangers of aggressive deer, elk and moose during the spring and early summer calving season since an elk attacked an 8-year-old girl who was riding her bike in an Estes Park neighborhood. The 8-year-old was the first to be attacked this year, but there have since been two other elk attacks in Estes Park. All have involved mother elk who were protecting their young.
“Thankfully no one was hurt,” Kroening said in the CPW release. “This incident serves as a reminder to watch for wildlife and keep a close eye on your children and pets.”
CPW asks citizens to teach their children to avoid wildlife and noted that mother deer will leave their fawns in one location for hours while searching for food.
