Deer charges pregnant woman near Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A pregnant woman was charged by a deer in the Colorado Springs area Friday evening, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW).

The exact area has not been shared with the public, but CPW shared details of the incident before the pregnant woman's father fatally shot the deer. This deer incident occurred after three separate reports of elk attacks on people in the Estes Park area recently.

“The woman told CPW she heard screams coming from her fenced yard which turned out to be her 2 dogs being trampled by a deer,” CPW shared in a press release about the deer attack. “She rushed forward to try to scare the deer when it turned around, stood up on its hind legs and charged in her direction. The woman's father came out of the house and shot the deer with rubber buckshot – a non-lethal hazing round – that CPW had provided in the past to deter bears. The deer ignored the shots and continued charging toward the woman as she tried to run away, so her father shot and killed the deer.

Colorado law allows people to use lethal measures to protect human health and safety from wildlife. No citations were issued in connection with this incident.

After the incident, a fawn believed to belong to the deer was located nearby and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center where it will be raised and released into the wild, according to CPW.

No one was injured during this incident.

Click here to read the full CPW statement. You can also view the full press release below:

Last night, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) responded to an incident northwest of Colorado Springs in unincorporated El Paso County involving an aggressive female deer that trampled a person's dogs and charged a pregnant woman before her father shot and killed her. The woman told CPW she heard screams coming from her fenced-in backyard that turned out to be those of her two dogs being trampled by a deer. She rushed over to try to scare the deer when it turned around, stood up on its hind legs and charged in her direction. The woman's father came out of the house and shot the deer with rubber buckshot – a non-lethal hazing round – that CPW had provided in the past to deter bears. The deer ignored the shots, continuing to charge toward the woman as she tried to run away, so her father shot and killed the deer. Colorado law allows the public to use lethal measures to protect human health and wildlife safety. CPW has investigated the details of this case and has not issued a citation for this incident.This incident follows an unprecedented third cow elk attack in Estes Park this year.“Deer, elk and moose can become aggressive in late spring and early summer when their young are born and defenseless,” said Tim Kroening, CPW area wildlife manager for the area. Pikes Peak. “The majority of aggressive behaviors from these animals involve a dog in one way or another, which they view as a predator and a threat to their young.” After the incident, a fawn believed to belong to the deer was located nearby and taken to a wildlife rehabilitation center. facility where it will be raised and released into the wild. A fence taller than 6 feet is required to keep deer out and CPW recommends keeping your pets on a leash at all times while outside. CPW recommends scanning the area first and staying outside with them at all times. CPW also recommends teaching your children to avoid wild animals and keep a close eye on them when they are outside. “Fortunately, no one got hurt.” » said Kröning. “This incident reminds us to watch for wildlife and keep a close eye on your children and pets.”Learn more about living with wildlife on the CPW website. Leave young animals aloneCPW reminds the public to leave young wild animals, especially young fawns, alone. Mother deer will leave their fawns in one place for hours at a time. It's common for people to find them, think they're abandoned, and pick them up thinking they're doing the right thing. Picking up and moving a fawn can cause the mother to not know where it is and abandon it. If you see a baby animal that you think is abandoned, call your local wildlife office so that trained CPW staff can assess the situation and provide information and guidance. If the animal is truly abandoned, CPW will do what it can to help. Understand that wildlife rehabilitation facilities have limited capacity and resources, so human intervention is a last resort.

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