Usually around this time of the year, people are hunting for deer to put on the dinner table. But in the case of this deer, officials are trying to save it. They discovered that the doe in California has a bone lodged in her mouth.
Officials believe that the deer will die if someone doesn't intervene. They spotted the creature near the Hollywood Reservoir. Nicknamed Floppy by the community, people are trying to find her. According to KTLA, locals first observed the deer on October 11. The doe's predicament has baffled Wildlife (CDFW) biologist Kevin Howells. He said this is the first time he's "ever seen anything like this."
According to Howells, deer "chew on bones infrequently, and they look to get minerals from bones that they are not getting from [elsewhere] in their diet."
"She's wounded," he told KTTV. "She's injured. She feels vulnerable. She's malnourished." Officials plan to use a tranq dart to make the animal fall to sleep while they administer medical aid. The biologist is hoping to "get an opportunity to chemically immobilize her, assess the wounds, and attempt to remove the bone if possible."
However, the search has stretched into days, and so far no one has been able to locate her. Tim Daly of the CDFW spoke about the search.
No Deer Found
"The hiking trails in the area are back open, so it's possible we'd get reports of sightings from people hiking in the area," Daly wrote. "Our plans would come together if there are credible reports and we think it's possible to reach the deer." Daly also said it is "maybe the strangest thing he's seen in a very long career of doing this kind of work."
Meanwhile, locals say the situation has tugged at their heartstrings.
"It's heartbreaking because they're behind this chain-linked fence, and you want to help so bad, and I know the professionals need to do it, but so many people were trying to help," Arlene Pileggi, a Hollywood Hills resident, told KTLA.
Daly is hopeful that they can find the deer.
"Hopefully, when we make progress on this and get that deer on the ground so we can go to work, we might get that answer as well as to how this thing ever got there in the first place," Daly said.
Howells warns that the animal's time is limited.
"She's not quite emaciated yet, but she's on her way," Howells told NBC Los Angeles. "She's obviously, I believe, incapable of getting water and of browsing as well."
