A rare wildlife sighting in the City of Vancouver ended tragically on Sunday afternoon after a deer was struck by a vehicle.
The herbivore was spotted on June 5 darting through several busy streets in the Fairview neighbourhood. While it is unclear exactly where it came from, one thing is clear: the swift traveller made an impression on almost everyone who saw it.
Numerous locals phoned in reports of the hoofed creature as it made its way across the city, with several people remarking that they'd observed it from as far away as Main Street and Terminal Avenue.
Vancouver Is Awesome recorded the deer just before 4 p.m. running across West 12th Avenue and into a small park.
The deer collided with a vehicle while crossing Oak Street near 14th Avenue around 4 p.m. and eventually died, although it is unclear exactly when it passed.
Kelly, a woman who lives near the scene of the crash, told Vancouver Is Awesome that she looked out of her window after she heard "a massive crash" and saw a "jumble of cars, a very frightened looking deer, and [a] couple [of] loose dogs."
Initially, Kelly thought a car collided with another vehicle to avoid hitting the deer but then she could see the animal "was really injured" as it "made it off the road and fell into a bush on the corner."
The Vancouver woman added that "it was pretty chaotic for a bit while the dogs were still running around loose and cars were trying to get by" and the woman who collided with the deer "seemed really upset." Police arrived quickly but eventually left.
V.I.A. attended the scene around 8 p.m. and the deer's remains were still at the location. At that point, Kelly remarked: "I hope its dead because a few people have looked and lightly touched it and it's going to break my heart more if it's been sitting there suffering for [four] hours."
Deer in Vancouver: City and police response
The BC Conservation Officers Service (BCCOS) handles matters pertaining to wildlife in any part of the province that are alive; the city responds to "complaints about the removal of small dead animals like racoons, skunks and birds," the city told V.I.A. in an emailed statement.
"In this instance, the City’s sanitation team was alerted to the animal by VPD. Upon arrival, they realized the animal was still alive, and reached out to the province for assistance, which was not available. The City’s Animal Services provided support until the appropriate agencies could respond. Unfortunately, when the BC SPCA arrived, the animal had passed away. The City’s Animal Services transported the animal back to the City’s Animal Shelter, where it was picked up this morning for cremation."
The city added that incidents involving deer are not a common occurrence in Vancouver.
Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison told V.I.A. that the animal was removed from the roadway by the city.
"Though not as common as in more rural areas, from time to time we do see urban wildlife venturing into more populated areas," he added.
This isn't the first time a deer has made an appearance in the city centre. In 2019, a doe made an unusual trek from Commercial Drive to an alleyway in Gastown. And in 2021, a young buck was recorded in Gastown.
According to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia's most recent statistics on crashes involving animals, 43 per cent occur in the Southern Interior of B.C., 25 per cent occur in Northern B.C., 21 per cent occur on Vancouver Island, and the remaining 11 per cent occur in the Lower Mainland.
The BCCOS told V.I.A. that it was not involved in the incident and declined to further comment.
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