Residents in the Berkeley hills are on the lookout for a doe that appears to be wandering around with an arrow sticking out of her torso.
Young-Eun Choi , who lives on Campus Drive, spotted the wounded and weakened deer Wednesday morning and took some photos of her eating.
“The head of the arrow had gone through the body but the tail of the arrow was still on the opposite side, leaving the arrow stuck in the deer,” Choi’s husband, Yun S. Song, a professor of computer science and statistics at UC Berkeley, said in an email sent to neighbors. “Although not focused, the photos clearly show the red/white tail of the arrow. The doe was still alive, but moving very slowly, obviously in great pain. Moreover, it had a fawn following it. Unfortunately we cannot locate where they are at present.”
The family called the California Department of Fish & Game, who told them it is illegal to shoot deer in Berkeley.
Lt. Shirley Christiensen of the department told Berkeleyside it is very difficult to find an animal that is on the move, but that they, along with Berkeley Animal Servies, was alert to the situation.
“It appears that the doe is really mobile. Apparently the arrow has not hit any vital organs,” she said. “It is very hard to find an individual deer but many neighbors have our number and are keeping an eye out for the doe.”
If the Fish & Game department were able to capture the deer, it is likely she would be euthanized, Christiensen said. She said the department did not have the resources to treat or perform surgery on such an animal and that her injuries might be so severe that euthanasia would be the best course of action.
Hunting season runs from August through September but it is illegal to hunt in urban, built-up areas like the Berkeley hills. Christiensen speculated that this might be a case of poaching or an accidental target.
To report a sighting, call the California Department of Fish & Game’s 24-hour dispatch number at 831-649-2801.
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