A Vancouver Island Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and his dog are recovering after being attacked by an agitated deer in their yard. Adam Walker described the incident as a “once in a million” scenario, as he returned home on September 7 to find a buck on top of his yellow lab, Pluto.
Walker attempted to release the deer several times, but it kept returning. During the ordeal, he was gored in the leg, and his dog suffered multiple open wounds to his stomach. A neighbor came to their rescue, using her car to nudge the 200-pound buck until it stumbled into a ditch and ran away.
Before the attack, Walker had helped free the deer from a tree where it had become entangled. It later found its way into his yard.
Chris Miller, a B.C. conservation officer, investigated the incident but could not locate the buck. He explained that deer, especially bucks, can be more aggressive than usual during this time of year as they enter the rutting season. Urban deer, like the one involved in the incident, tend to have less fear of humans than their wild counterparts.
