Wildlife agents are on the hunt for a mule deer that attacked a 67-year-old woman near her front door in the town of Silver Cliff, Colorado, about 75 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. The goring occurred on the evening of Saturday, December 16. The deer involved in the attack was a young buck with “two spikes on each antler,” according to a press release issued by Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW) earlier this week.
The spike buck injured both of the woman’s legs during the attack, CPW said, leaving her with severe bruising on one and a deep puncture wound on the other before she could get inside to call her husband for help. “A wildlife officer went to investigate and found a bird feeder in the yard,” said Mike Brown, CPW Area Wildlife Manager in the region. “The victim told a CPW officer that she feeds birds and had thrown out bread earlier that day.”
According to Brown, there hadn’t been any recent reports of mule deer behaving aggressively in the town Silver Cliff until the Saturday incident occurred. Given the precise location of the attack, so close to the woman’s front door, there’s a good chance the animal had been acquiring food from human sources, CPW stated.
“I believe this is a good example of what happens when deer lose their natural fear of humans,” Brown said. “They become aggressive and dangerous. This is a good reminder that wild animals should always be treated as such and that people need to give wildlife the space they need. We’re glad this woman wasn’t more seriously injured.”
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First responders on the scene took the woman to a hospital in nearby Pueblo for treatment. As of this writing, agents have been unable to locate the deer. “If found, the deer will be euthanized to prevent future attacks on humans,” the press release states.
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