State of Oregon Says Privately Owned Deer Have to Go

Oregon State Police, working with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, took the deer because they say one was illegally taken from the wild and both were being held captive illegally.

File photo of black-tail deer Courtesy: ondagoblog.files.wordpress.com

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - State Wildlife officials seized two deer from a Molalla home this week that had been raised by a local family, citing Oregon law that makes it illegal to possess a wild animal.

Now rumors are floating about that the family is going to have the two deer named Snowball and Bucky returned, but state officials say that no decision has been reached that would allow the animals to be privately owned.

The pair of black-tail deer removed by the state were placed in a secure facility under the care of licensed veterinarians after state officials took custody of the animals Wednesday.

“We want the best for these animals, and we empathize with the family that had clearly grown attached to the deer,” said ODFW Director Roy Elicker. “We are working toward a good outcome for the deer, because we share the family’s concern for them. Caring for wild animals is at the heart of everything we do, and we appreciate the concerns that so many people have expressed over these deer.”

Oregon State Police, working with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, took the deer because they say one was illegally taken from the wild and both were being held captive illegally.

Of course this is the type of information that brings a community's attitude to the boiling point. Franchesca Mantei says she found the deformed, rare-colored black-tail deer that they named 'Snowball' five years ago. Eventually, another deer mated with Snowball and the deer gave birth to another that they named Bucky.

KGW TV reports that Mantei spent most of Wednesday morning crying , as four Oregon State Police cars and Fish & Wildlife officials arrived at her home.

According to standard procedure, veterinarians have begun assessing the animals’ overall health, testing them to determine whether they have diseases that may be harmful to other wildlife. After assessing their health, veterinarians and other wildlife experts will evaluate the deer’s ability to survive in the wild. If the deer can survive in the wild, the state will release them.

“These are, after all, wild animals,” Elicker added. “If they are able to survive in the wild, we owe them the opportunity to live in their natural environment, as Mother Nature intended.”

If one or both deer cannot survive in the wild, the department will do everything possible to locate a legal facility that has the skills and ability to care for the animals in captivity, Elicker explained.

But people in Molalla, Oregon say they do not understand why the state of Oregon has to move in on a situation that was not causing any problems. Most who know Mantei says there is no better option for the deer than to remain where they are.

The deer named Snowball has little ability to walk, and the woman who raised the deer says it has little to no chance of surviving a life in the wild. It is a fact that nearly all animals that were raised to be domesticated are difficult to transition back to the wild.

"Snowball released in my yard will not have a fighting chance... she can't run...with the wild critters in the area and the neighbors' dogs, she'll get mauled. She'll be dead by dark," Mantei told one reporter.

Meg Kenagy with Oregon Wildlife says there is not a lot that state officials can do when it comes to skirting laws, and she says she knows that this is the kind of story that goes straight for people's emotions. She did say that the state of Oregon is not considering euthanasia as an option, she said it was important for people hearing about the story to realize that.

A press conference is being held today to allow state wildlife officials to answer questions from reporters on the subject. We will report more as the story develops.

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Special thanks to KGW TV for information in this report.