Tame deer famed for nuzzling teenage boy is shot dead by conservationists for becoming TOO FRIENDLY
Video of deer brushing up against boy in Canada went viral this summer
Wildlife experts said its familiarity with humans meant it posed a danger
A friendly deer that become an internet hit after being filmed nuzzling up to a boy in Canada has been shot dead for being too friendly.
A video of the amorous animal - filmed on a camera phone by the boy's mother in Kalamalka Lake, Vernon - went viral this summer. As the teenager, Miles Higgins laughed and tried to push away the deer's antlers, the animal continued to rub its head over his neck and back.
The young man on the video wasn't the only one to receive attention from the animal, which was affectionate with lots of Vernon residents.
However, the creature has been put down as wildlife officials claimed that because it was tame, it posed a danger to humans. Marnie Cuthill from Wildsafe BC told CTV News: ‘They become habituated and that means they become very used to humans and that means that they generally become a problem.
Up close: The deer rubs its head on Miles as he sunbathes in Vernon
Precaution: Wildlife expert Marnie Cuthill said the deer could have caused serious damage
'They’re still wild animals. All it had to do was catch a child under the arm or caught in a backpack, or bumped up against someone. It could have done some serious damage.’
One local resident complained that the solution was unnecessarily cruel.
The unnamed man told CTV News: ‘It was a beautiful, friendly animal. It would have been nice if they’d explored some other options.’
Ms Higgins told Global News the deer was so enamored with her son that it even followed them when they left the lake.
On the video she posted on YouTube, Ms Higgins can be heard saying: 'Careful, it's not hurting is it?' as the deer's antlers catch her son's shoulder.
The cute video has been viewed more than 500,000 times since going online on August 1.
It is thought the deer was trying to shed the velvet from its antlers or was marking Miles as its territory, using the gland on its forehead.
Wild encounter: Animal experts think the deer was marking Miles as its territory
Too close for comfort: The deer's antlers knock into the teenager as it tries to nuzzle him
Since the video of Miles getting up close to the deer was released, Vernon conservation officers had issued a warning about the risks of getting close to wild animals.
Marnie Cuthill previously told SunFM the video showed that the deer was too close humans
She said: 'It can be dangerous and especially that one that, it looks like it's been conditioned to humans and to seek out human food.'
Visitors to the lake had also reported a male deer being aggressive to picnickers who refuse to share their food.
Attached: The deer was so taken by Miles that it tried to follow him when he left the lake作者: eaglelu 時間: 2013-9-23 11:44 PM
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