Six years ago, an Oregon man rescued a fawn and raised her as a family pet. So when the state seized the deer, with a threat of euthanasia, all hell broke loose.
Comment: God created animals and humans do not have a right to kill innocent and hramless creatures. If a species overpopulates we can humanely control them via placing contraceptives in baited feed.
Comment: Maybe people should take their heads out of their asses and realize that WE are the cause of the majority of these animals plights. If it were not for people who take it upon themselves to preserve the wildlife that is left there may be even more species becoming extinct. A life in captivity may not be the chosen one for an animal in this situation but is euthanasia really any better? Also people who take it upon themselve to care for wildlife are (hopefully) aware of the dangers that go along with it and accept that. If you get hurt its your own damn fault. BUT THE BIGGEST POINT IS WE (people) ARE THE CAUSE OF EVERY PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE WILDLIFE, and WE should do everything we can to live with these animals and and protect them before they are ALL GONE.
Comment: First of all (all fuzzy feeling aside) what the man did was illegal. Second of all, wild animals are not pets. This type of situation is seen across the nation over and over again. We see it in Yellowstone; where visitors honestly believe it's a good idea to feed the bears and try to ride the elk. Attempting to humanize or domesticate wild animals only hurts the animals in question. The average home range of and adult female deer is anywhere from 39-2878 ha. Not a pen in a guy's backyard. Their typical diet consists of browse, forbs, grasses, and nuts. That does not include a salad from Safeway's produce section. Did the owner actually check to make sure that the deer's diet actually covered its nutritional needs?
I understand how people can have bleeding hearts when it comes to baby wildlife. They're cute, and we hate to see them die. But in reality, it happens. The best thing any human can do for injured wildlife is to call the professionals who have actual training and education in wildlife. Wild animals will always be wild, no matter how many times they eat from your hand. The real cruely is being selfish enough to try and confine them in a backyard pen and treat them like Fido or Fluffy. Assuming to keep them in a pen is egotistical, cruel, unfair and unrealistic for the animal.
-Wildlife Biology Student
Comment: As a veterinarian with an undergraduate degree in Natural Resources and Wildlife Science, I have to disagree with xara2's premise and conclusions. If this was a cougar in a backyard cage, I'd agree it should not have been kept, but it's a doe ---scarcely as dangerous as say an ornery horse, which nobody argues should be banned for an owners' protection. Keeping any kind of animal has attendant risks, which are generally understood and accepted by the keeper. The analogy of idiots treating actual wildlife in the wild as if it were domesticated is specious ---this is a completely different situation, involving a hand-raised orphan. And you can't legitimately apply a "let Nature be Nature" approach in an environment that has been profoundly altered by human habitation. The underlying ecological reality is that suburban populations of deer are often excessive, as many of the animals' normal predators have been eliminated, while the suburban environment offers a plethora of food in the summertime. As a result, each year sees an overabundance of young deer entering their first winter, when food supplies plummet, and as a result, many of those young deer starve (and often damage the habitat by overbrowsing it before they die). Isn't it more cruel to allow an orphaned or injured fawn starve to death, than to rehabilitate it and allow it to live a more limited life? Many wild animals take well to captive settings, and can accommodate enclosures much smaller than the ranges they inhabit in the wild ---for a deer, most of that range, after all, is the area necessary to find forage ---smaller in lusher regions, larger in sparse ones. Your argument would preclude the keeping of most zoo animals, and if you've ever worked in wildlife rehab, you know full well that many wild animals --- healthy but damaged in a way that they can not be released into the wild ---are kept as educational ambassadors. I know of many happy and healthy 'backyard' deer; neither they nor their species are adversely affected by their semi-domestic condition. Also, if the man spent thousands of dollars on vet bills, I would be astounded if he avoided a thorough education in providing proper nutrition for his deer (not rocket science, that), and indeed, the fact that the animal is capable of reproduction implies that its nutrition is, at a minimum, adequate. I think that people in this sort of situation should be given the option to be properly educated in in the husbandry requirements of the species in question, have their facilities inspected and approved, and be issued a permit. That way, everyone wins.
....Dr. S. Stanley, VMD Oakland, CA
Comment: This is nonsense. The world is taking over natures habitat and taking care of this kind of animal is humane. How man dogs have mauled and killed people. If people have enough of a backyard to care for animals such as these, then let it be. If the individual wants to take on the responsibility of caring for a wild animal and as long as it doesn't create a threat to harm anyone, well....
Comment: This just makes no sense to me. If raising a wild animal is such a big deal, then why isn't shooting them down. I do understand that there is a risk for the animal to turn, but why bother it when it hasn't and doesn't show any evidence that it will. The fact that the baby doe will not be returned is just plain foolishness. If they were so worried that the baby would cause problems then why allow snowball to be returned. Both should be returned to where they rightfully belong, and that is with the Filipetti's.
Comment: The local game warden gave me a orphan deer to raise on my farm years ago. I tried my best not to allow it to become a pet, feeding it with a nippled bucket instead of a bottle, raising it in a flock of sheep instead of allowing it to bond with people, etc. It was always free to leave and I had hundreds of acres of woods for the deer to live in. Unfortunately it was not afraid of humans and was shot in its second year by a trespassing hunter. I'm sure the deer was easy killing for him. The point is, once they become used to humans, it is not good to release these animals in the wild. Can't the Oregon Fish and Wildlife go off an catch poachers and stop harrassing people who did a good deed for this animal?
Comment: It's ridiculous how the powers that be will drag their feet when an animal is being abused, but if a good Samaritan is taking care of an animal that can't take care of itself they suddenly get the urge to intervene. It sounds like the wildlife cops in Oregon need something better to do with their time.
Comment: This makes me so upset!! I understand wild animals, in most cases should be left wild, but if there is a deer that is young and needs taken care of, and can't on their own, their is no reason why that should be wrong. Raising a baby animal and taking in a grown wild animal is different! And the fact that they might not get Bucky back makes me crazy! How ignorant can our legal system be? The animal is a domesticated deer! Born and raised with that family, why take it from the loving family and life it's known?? It IS NOT a wild deer! I Love animals so much and hate to see them hurt and it makes me so sad to think of how these animals must feel. As long as these people are aware of the risks involving having those deers and do there best to avoid any problems, and they get licenses, what is the harm in them having them?? I'm sure the people that turned them in are miserable, angry, unhappy people, and wouldn't know how to feel any love or compassion for a suffering animal!
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