How a Buck with a Hammock in His Antlers Became a Celebrity in British Columbia

This buck is a local celebrity in British Columbia.

Almost every year there is a deer that becomes a local celebrity for some strange reason in the area where it lives.

The latest comes to us from Prince Rupert, British Columbia, where a buck nick-named "Hammy" is now the most popular deer in town.

Normally one might not have looked twice at this buck. But then he ended up with his antlers tangled in a hammock back in August.

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When police cut the buck free, a large portion of the purple hammock remained on his right antler, thus leading to the obvious nickname of "Hammy." Because he is so recognizable, he quickly gained a fan base.

Marcedés Mack, the one who originally discovered the deer when it was first tangled, ended up starting a Facebook fan page for the buck. And it has quickly become a popular page, with residents posting updates of the buck's movements.

"I kind of felt an attachment, so I figured if I started a page for him, I could bring the community together to keep tabs on Hammy for me by sharing pics and stories," she wrote in the introduction to the Facebook group "Chronicles of Hammy the Deer," Mack told CBC Canada.

The buck's popularity has even spurred the creation of a T-shirt with proceeds going to a local wildlife shelter. There's even talk of what to do with Hammy's antlers once he does lose them. One proposition has been to auction them off with the proceeds going to a shelter.

"He's like a little treasure for the town," Mack told CBC News.

Wildlife officials aren't planning to remove any more of the hammock from Hammy's antlers since he seems to be getting along fine. Photos seem to indicate the hammock material left is slowly falling apart. And videos posted to the fan page show him sparring with other bucks and chasing does like any buck would do during the rut.

So it seems, at least until he drops his antlers, Hammy will continue to be the most popular deer in town. After all, how many deer do you know with their own T-shirt?

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