Imagine that you’re out for a walk with your dogs and see a deer several feet away - you don’t think much of it until you turn your back - and then the doe comes charging at you and your dogs.
That is what happened to one Gardiner woman named Jackie. In a video sent to us by Brandi Nichols, you can see Jackie walking her two dogs around the block when she passes a deer. Not giving the doe much thought, she keeps walking until the sound of hooves rushes up behind her, trampling her dog, Gabe.
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Gabe is alright, but I thought this was pretty unusual behavior for a doe, so I headed over to Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks to see what they thought.
“We see this occasionally with moose, especially. When someone’s too close, they’ll respond defensively. It’s a little less common with deer, but I’d say this behavior is still normal defensive behavior,” says Morgan Jacobsen with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
FWP says this isn’t totally unusual, and the attack made even more sense after a second video was sent to us, revealing this doe as a mama protecting her newborn fawn.
“This time of year is when a lot of wildlife are rearing their young; you know mothers can be very protective,” says Jacobsen.
Jackie happened to walk a little too close to this fawn, which was reportedly born just hours before the attack.
Jackie says that the mama even had another baby after this attack, making this fawn an older twin.
FWP advises if you find yourself in a situation like Jackie’s:
“When we talk about bear safety, we say don’t run from bears, right? With these species, it’s okay to put some distance between you and the animal. Give them space, and that’s going to increase your safety, but it’s also going to reduce conflict and stress for that wildlife,” says Jacobsen.
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