A deer that attacked several dogs and charged a pregnant woman was shot and killed by a man in southern Colorado on Friday night, wildlife officials say.
The attack and subsequent shooting were reported in unincorporated El Paso County, northwest of Colorado Springs, where a female deer stomped on dogs. The dog’s owner, who’s pregnant, screamed and tried to scare the deer away, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The deer then charged at the woman when her father shot the deer with non-lethal rubber ammunition typically used to scare away bears.
The rubber munitions were ineffective, CPW says, and that’s when the man shot the deer with live ammunition, killing it.
Wildlife officials investigated the incident and determined the man acted in defense of his daughter and he was not cited.
CPW believes the deer was protecting its young, as a fawn, believed to be the adult female deer’s, was located nearby. Wildlife officers took the fawn to a wildlife rehabilitation facility.
This comes after three cow elk attacked people in three separate incidents in Estes Park, a frequency CPW calls “unprecedented.”
“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. “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.”
While the first two elk attacks did not appear to involve any nearby dogs, the third one — which occurred Friday — did. All three elk attacks resulted in injuries to people. No one was injured in Friday’s deer attack, but the family was shaken up, CPW said.
“Thankfully no one was hurt,” Kroening said. “This incident serves as a reminder to watch for wildlife and keep a close eye on your children and pets.”
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