Oh deer

[wraithfodder]

Last year, I spied a deer from the upstairs window, and was somewhat mortified to see it's one hind leg was a nasty mess. I'm assuming she got hit by a car and the femur totally broken, so that the muscles contracted the leg upwards. I figured she'd be dead in days, but to my surprise, she's still alive. I'm sure a lot of that has to do with the mild winter we had with just two days of snow (and one of those was the Halloween storm). Next winter, probably not so lucky.




September 2011.

June 2012. Far away but I saw her about 50 feet away earlier and she appears healthy. This video is grainy as I extended the camera to full digital zoom.

Comments

[timespirt.livejournal.com]

Poor thing, they’re pretty resilient though so she may be around if the hunters or the predators don't get her. Upstate where my uncle lives the mountain had a deer mascot so to speak. She was raised from a baby by one of the mountain woman after her mom was killed. She actually had on a collar with a bell to show people she was a pet (always hung around the houses) and some jackass hunter killed her. She lasted many years up there. I always fear for my uncle as the hunters wonder onto people’s property from the state park. I can hear them shooting off their rifles and shotguns while I’m up to visit. I’m always afraid I will get hit just walking on the private road leading to my uncle’s house.

[monkey5s.livejournal.com]

We did the injured deer research last year when a coworker noticed one on their property. The doe was wounded badly enough that she couldn't get up for a few days.

The Dept. of Wildlife noted (with video backups) that deer really are resilient- their bodies will take care of things as needed. They will try to heal the injured limb, but if it can't be helped, their blood vessels and nerves close off, and the limb eventually sloughs off (can I get an "ewww, gross!"). This does not hinder their quality of life, since grazing is just as easy with three legs. Hunters don't generally want defective deer, so if they are paying attention they will NOT want to shoot it.

Your deer looks like there is still blood circulating just fine to the leg, so it may be a permanent wonky hanging limb for her. And if it's not actively wounded now, I bet she'll be fine in the winter, too.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

If my deer can avoid roads and/or really pubilc places, she shoud be okay.

[wraithfodder.livejournal.com]

Wow, never knew that about limbs 'sloughing off'. Think it's a permanent wonky limb as the bloody mess has definitely cleaned up. As long the coyotes don't find her.