On Saturday morning, a Campbell River resident found a deer struggling with what appears to be a broken life preserver or buoy caught in its antlers.

B次元官网网址淢y husband called me and said I needed to come outside right away to look at something,B次元官网网址� said Heather Brooks. B次元官网网址淚 came outside and there was a deer in our front yard, eating the birdseed from a hanging feeder, and he had a buoy and a bunch of rope entangled in his antlers.B次元官网网址�

She contacted the BC Conservation Officer Service, but was told they were busy at the time, she said.

With her husband and a neighbour, she tried to corral the deer in the yard of her home but the animal got spooked and ran away.

Brooks said she tracked it for about 45 minutes in hopes that help would come. When the animal disappeared, she went door-to-door to inform people about the situation.

B次元官网网址淚 let all the neighbours know that heB次元官网网址檚 there and heB次元官网网址檚 in distress and please report it if they find him,B次元官网网址� she said.

Brooks remains concerned about the animalB次元官网网址檚 well-being. She said the buoy appeared to be preventing the male deer from being able to reach the ground to graze.

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Later that day, in a note on Facebook, local resident Sammi Burk reported seeing B次元官网网址渁 deer with a pylon and rope around its headB次元官网网址� in downtown Campbell River.

She told the Black Press that she reported the sighting to the RCMP. An officer appeared on the scene, but the animal had retreated into the bushes, Burk said.

B次元官网网址淚t was dark out and the cop said it was a little bit dangerous to go chasing after a scared deer at night,B次元官网网址� she said.

By Wednesday, the BC Conservation Office had received five or six reports about a deer entangled in rope, mesh and pieces of foam floats, said conservation officer Steve Petrovcic.

On Sunday morning, he personally responded to a report about the animal being spotted laying down beneath a power line corridor. He went to the scene, hoping to tranquilize the animal.

B次元官网网址淚f the deer presented me with a safe darting opportunity, my intention was to dart it and cut it free of that undesirable head wear,B次元官网网址� he said.

Petrovcic swept the area, but the deer was gone.

He noted that an animal that appears healthy and mobile isnB次元官网网址檛 a top priority when officers are busy.

B次元官网网址淓ach time, the animal has been described as being mobile,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he animal is not hung up.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淥fficers do apply triage to calls that come in,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淗uman health and safety is number one. Certainly, we donB次元官网网址檛 want to see an animal suffering.B次元官网网址�

Petrovcic said that he recently managed to free another deer that had become entangled in mesh in someoneB次元官网网址檚 garden north of Campbell River.

He added that officers from his division cover a region spanning from Buckley Bay to Bella Bella, with five general duty officers and a sergeant.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a big chunk of geography,B次元官网网址� he said.

david.koch@campbellrivermirror.com
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