UPDATE: MNRF officials have reached out to the Sloan's and a wildlife rescue physician has been called to help the injured deer.
See original story below:
Harry Sloan is used to seeing deer around his home off Balmoral Crescent in West Ferris.
But there was something different with a young doe that started coming by his yard about two weeks ago.
Sloan noticed something odd as it appeared to have something wrapped around its chest.
“From a distance, you could not really tell you know, its hair was raised around the top but I could not really tell,” said Sloan.
“The next couple of days it came back again and I sat outside and I could see, and I threw a couple apples to see if I could get a better look. Then I got my binoculars and he came fairly close - within 30 feet of me - and he turned sideways and I could see this nylon rope around him.”
Sloan has no idea how a rope, which he believes is about 1/4 inch thick, got around the little deer.
However, while Sloan says the animal is moving well, he can tell that the young animal is in distress.
“I could tell the rope has been there for a while and it is growing into it. Its back spine at the top is raw, it opens right into its spine, and it goes around into its rib cage around its side and the hair is all gone of course - the hair is rubbing off because it is digging in,” Sloan said.
Sloan says the animal has been coming to his backyard every second night. He has put in three calls to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry that have not been returned yet. He has also reached out to North Bay Wildlife Rescue and they told him they cannot help.
“This deer needs to be tranquilized to get the band off her belly or she/he will die of starvation,” said Sloan noting the animal appeared to be regurgitating its food when he has seen it eating near his backyard.
“I'm reaching out to anyone who could get some action on this. Maybe a veterinarian or a farmer who has a tranquilizer gun. It is inhuman to have an animal die of starvation and not intervene.”
Sloan hopes he gets a call back from an MNRF Game Warden and if that does not happen he hopes perhaps another animal activist group will come to the animal's aid.
