Doe drives off a cat and a dog in BC
I heard about a video of the deer attacking a dog in Cranbrook, British Columbia on the radio yesterday morning, so I looked it up on YouTube. I rehabilitated and released dozens of whitetail deer fawns between 1992 and 2004, so I have quite a bit of experience in deer behaviour. The video shows a black-tail (mule deer) doe and her fawn. First it shows a cat taking a predatory interest in the fawn -- the cat is not rubbing its face glands on the fawn, it is looking for a spot to bite, but the fawn is too big and the cat's killer instinct lacks training. The doe arrives and attempts to lure the fawn to a safer area in which to hide, the cat follows and the doe walks backwards as it tries to ward the fawn. The fawn is scared by the close proximity of the predator (the cat) and hides by collapsing on the grass. The doe takes off to drive off a dog (a larger predator). The recording continues with the doe back with her fawn and trying to lure it away to a safer place. The cat is still stalking them so the doe confronts the cat. The cat takes a swipe at the doe at which point the doe chases it away.
I'm amazed that the doe was as tolerant as she was. People in that town in BC should not allow their dogs and cats wander about loose. They should expect deer to protect themselves and their fawns from predators, they should expect deer to try to drive cats and dogs away. I think they are fortunate to have deer sharing their town. On the radio they claimed that the deer in Cranbrook have learned to read the traffic lights before crossing the street! At the same time they complain that deer are a traffic hazard, that they have to fence their gardens and that they are considering shooting the deer and selling the meat.
By the way, what's with the locked posts on Endeering?? I enabled cookies to post and it looks like half the posts have padlocks. What's with the secrecy?!?
I'm amazed that the doe was as tolerant as she was. People in that town in BC should not allow their dogs and cats wander about loose. They should expect deer to protect themselves and their fawns from predators, they should expect deer to try to drive cats and dogs away. I think they are fortunate to have deer sharing their town. On the radio they claimed that the deer in Cranbrook have learned to read the traffic lights before crossing the street! At the same time they complain that deer are a traffic hazard, that they have to fence their gardens and that they are considering shooting the deer and selling the meat.
By the way, what's with the locked posts on Endeering?? I enabled cookies to post and it looks like half the posts have padlocks. What's with the secrecy?!?
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