An aggressive female deer attacked a pregnant woman and her dogs Thursday evening northwest of Colorado Springs in unincorporated El Paso County before it was fatally shot, according to an announcement from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
The woman told CPW she heard screaming in her fenced-in backyard. When she went outside to investigate, she discovered a deer aggressively stomping her two dogs, the announcement states.
When the woman rushed in to try and save her dogs, the deer reared up its two legs and began to charge in her direction.
As the situation began to escalate, officials said the woman’s father came outside and shot the deer with a nonlethal rubber buckshot — a nonlethal hazing weapon provided by CPW to assist with deterring bears.
The deer, however, didn’t react and continued to charge the pregnant woman.
As a result, the woman’s father shot and killed the deer, CPW said.
According to CPW, Colorado state law allows the public to use lethal measures when a human’s life is at risk.
“CPW investigated the details of this case and did not issue a citation for this incident,” the announcement states.
Following the incident, a fawn was found nearby believed to belong to the aggressive deer. It was taken to a wildlife rehabilitation facility where it will be raised before being released back into the wild.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” said Tim Kroening, CPW’s area wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak region.
“This incident serves as a reminder to watch for wildlife and keep a close eye on your children and pets.”
The incident near Colorado Springs follows the third cow elk attack in Estes Park.
The most recent attack, involving a woman walking her dog in Estes Park Friday morning, is the latest in a string of attacks that Colorado Parks and Wildlife is calling “unprecedented,” a previous report by The Gazette states.
The other two attacks involved elk stomping on children, with both of them going to the hospital as a result. One of the children was riding a bike when the attack occurred, the other took place at a playground.
“Deer, elk and moose can become aggressive in the late spring and early summer when their young are first born and defenseless,” Kroening said.
“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.”
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