Death of neighbourhood deer sparks anger among Waterloo residents

Waterloo residents are frustrated over the death of a wild deer that had been living in their neighbourhood, after repeated requests to help the animal were ignored.

The deer, nicknamed Dani, was first spotted in January in the Kingscourt Drive area.

One resident who spoke with CTV News in March described the deer as very calm and comfortable around people. 

“It’s just odd to see it in our neighbourhood,” Rebecca Scholl told CTV News. “We’ve been here over 12 years. It’s not a regular occurrence.”

Concerned neighbours then started Facebook groups, where they posted pictures whenever Dani was spotted on city streets.

Judy Furtado saw the deer on her Sandy Cove Crescent property almost daily.

“She was eating the dandelions and some neighbours’ flowers,” Furtado said.

People noted that Dani appeared skinnier and feared she wasn’t getting enough to eat.

“Obviously there’s bylaws in place where you can’t feed wild animals,” Furtado said. “We were really watching this deer starve.”

The City of Waterloo told CTV News: “One of the concerns is that [feeding wild animals] changes their natural instincts,” adding “it makes them less able to care for themselves.”

Scholl said there were also concerns about a wild deer living in a heavily populated area with so much vehicular traffic.

Furtado and other neighbours asked both the City of Waterloo and Ministry of Natural Resources to help relocate the deer, but said they were told the wild animal should be left alone.

The ministry’s response to Furtado stated its “aware of the deer and are monitoring the situation.” A spokesperson added a wildlife custodian was also authorized to monitor Dani until she returned to the wild.

Dani’s death

On Saturday, a deer was struck by a vehicle on Kingscourt Drive in Waterloo. The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth confirmed it was Dani.

The deer’s injuries were so severe, it had to be put down by a Waterloo Regional Police officer.

“It was heartbreaking,” Furtado recalled.

Police told CTV News the driver of the vehicle was not injured.

Reaction from residents

Furtado said she believes the situation should have been handled differently and steps could have been taken to avoid Dani’s death.

“We just wanted her to be relocated and, if not relocated, it’s fine if [deer] want to live within our city, but then how do we adapt,” Furtado said.

In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Natural Resources said: “The ministry encourages people to… appreciate them from a distance and to not attract them to the area with food. Feeding wild animals may do more harm than good.”

The ministry added that Dani will be sent for testing to determine the cause of her poor health.

Furtado and other members of the community said they plan on lobbying for changes to the City of Waterloo’s animal control bylaw, to allow people to feed wild animals in need of food.

Memorial for Dani

Since the deer’s death, flowers and other keepsakes have been left along Kingscourt Drive.

Furtado said a group of residents will be holding a memorial Tuesday night to celebrate Dani’s life.