COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — A fourth wildlife attack in Colorado this season occurred near Colorado Springs Friday evening when an aggressive female deer stomped on a person's dogs and charged a pregnant woman. No injuries were reported.
It happened in a fenced-in backyard of a home northwest of Colorado Springs in unincorporated El Paso County. The woman’s father shot and killed the deer during the attack, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
CPW said the woman heard screaming from her backyard and rushed outside to find her two dogs getting stomped by the deer. When she tried to scare the animal away, the deer reared up in its hind legs and charged in her direction.
The woman’s father came outside the home and shot the deer with rubber buckshot, a nonlethal hazing round. 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, according to CPW.
After the incident, a fawn believed to belong to the deer was located nearby and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation facility where it will be raised and released back into the wild, CPW said in a news release.
“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 wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak region, in a statement. “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.”
This is the fourth attack by wildlife in Colorado in the past 30 days and the second one on the same day.
Earlier on Friday in Estes Park, a woman walking her dog on a leash was knocked to the ground by a cow elk and stomped and kicked several times. The woman was injured in the attack and is seeking medical treatment.
Two other separate attacks by cow elk in Estes Park occurred on May 30 and June 3. An 8-year-old girl was injured in the May attack and a 4-year-old boy was attacked and wounded in the June incident. Both victims were treated at a hospital and released.
The wildlife agency called the number of attacks this year "unprecedented."
“Cow elk with young calves are known to be aggressive, however we’ve never seen a year like this,” said Jason Duetsch, CPW Area Wildlife Manager, in a statement. “All three attacks have been unprovoked and unfortunate accidents. We have no clear evidence to suggest these attacks were from the same animal, which underscores how uncommon the elk behavior has been.”
CPW reminds the public to keep their distance from wildlife, especially young fawns.
“Mother deer will leave their fawns in one location for hours at a time. It is common for people to find them, think they are abandoned and pick them up thinking they are doing the right thing. Picking up and moving a fawn can lead to the mother not knowing where it is and actually abandoning it,” CPW said in a news release.
If you see a baby animal you believe to be abandoned, call your local wildlife office.
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