BEND, Ore. – A central Oregon deer that had become a bit too fond of Central Oregon residents, even chasing and licking one runner, was moved to the Three Sisters Wilderness Area this week.
The deer became well-known when it chased a student at a cross-country meet in Redmond. Cascade Middle School seventh-grader Kevin Cox was chased by the deer for about 10 minutes until the deer caught him, put its feet on his shoulders and licked him, according to those who saw the incident.
The deer was then spotted in and around Redmond more than a month ago, and officials feared it had become too friendly, said Redmond Police Capt. Gary DeKorte.
“It’s extremely tame. People have been feeding it, and it has lost its fear of humans,” DeKorte said. “The other day it was following a child around, on his bicycle, like a trained dog.”
John Fleshman, who lives west of the canyon in Redmond, said he and his family had seen the deer numerous times in recent weeks, roaming through his neighborhood, and they knew the deer was tame enough to walk up and pet.
“It’s way too friendly,” he said.
With the help of a veterinarian from the Terrebonne Veterinary Clinic and an employee of the Humane Society of Redmond, the deer was tranquilized and loaded into a horse trailer Friday after being cornered on John Tuck Elementary School property in Redmond, DeKorte said.
Once inside the trailer, the veterinarian gave the deer an antidote to the tranquilizer before releasing it in the wilderness area.
Dennis Oliphant, the photographer who captured the photos of the deer chasing the boy and who was somewhat responsible for the deer’s publicity, said he was glad the deer had been moved to a safe location.
Oliphant, who owns Sun Country Tours, took a series of photos of the deer chasing and eventually climbing on top of Kevin Cox at the cross-country meet. In the photos, Kevin is seen first posing with the deer, then running from the deer and finally ducking his head as the deer placed both front legs on Kevin’s shoulders and licked his back.
The photos garnered national media attention.
DeKorte said he hopes the story will remind people that deer are wild animals that should not be fed.
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