Deer Roaming Through Rural Kansas Seen Wearing Collar and ‘Pet’ Written on Its Side

A deer sporting a collar and the word “pet” marked on it was seen roaming through rural Missouri and has caught the attention of officials and community members.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office posted a photo of the pet deer on Facebook, warning residents not to take in wild deer as pets, with a main concern being chronic wasting disease. 

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible brain disease that has been impacting several members of the deer family, including white-tailed deer, and can affect the animal's behavior. The disease has been seen in deer in Missouri and officials are working to limit its spread, the Missouri Department of Conservation said. 

While the owners of the “pet” deer may have had good intentions, Missouri Department of Conservation captain, Scott Corley, said they did the deer no favors by taking it in, according to the Kansas City Star. 

“Somebody most likely took that deer out of the wild as a fawn and tried to keep it as a pet and put a collar on it,” Corley said, “Obviously they thought they were keeping it safe. Maybe going into hunting season they thought painting ‘pet’ on it, somebody won’t shoot it if it comes by,” he said. “That’s just not a good idea by any means,” the Kansas City Star reported. 

Officials said if you do find orphaned wildlife, they should be reported to the Missouri Department of Conservation, not take it in as a pet. 

“It ends in a bad situation for the deer by taking them out of the wild. They have a lot better chance if you leave them where they’re at and don’t touch them,” Corley said, according to the Kansas City Star.

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