Deer charges pregnant woman trying to stop it from stomping dogs, Colorado officials say

An “aggressive” deer stomped on two dogs and charged a pregnant woman before being killed, Colorado wildlife officials reported.

The incident took place northwest of Colorado Springs in the evening of Friday, June 7, Colorado Parks & Wildlife said in a news release.

The woman told wildlife officers she heard screaming from her fenced backyard, officials said. When she went to investigate, she found a doe stomping on her two dogs.

The woman, who is pregnant, rushed in to try to scare the deer away, but it turned and charged her, officials said.

Her father shot the doe with rubber buckshot used to “haze” or drive away deer, officials said. When the deer continued charging, he shot and killed it.

Wildlife officers investigating the incident later found a fawn nearby and took it to a wildlife rehabilitation facility, officials said.

“Deer, elk and moose can become aggressive in the late spring and early summer when their young are first born and defenseless,” area wildlife manager Tim Kroening said in the release.

“The majority of aggressive behavior from these animals in some way involves a dog, who they see as a predator and threat to their young,” Kroening said.

Colorado Springs is about a 70-mile drive south from Denver.

This story was originally published June 9, 2024 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Deer charges pregnant woman trying to stop it from stomping dogs, Colorado officials say."