live-deer-found-womans-trunk-traffic-stop

Live Deer Found in Woman’s Trunk During Traffic Stop

We highly doubt this was what Bambi would’ve wanted on a Thursday.

Yesterday night in Newberrytown, Pennsylvania, police pulled over a 19-year-old suspected drugged or drunken driver. Authorities found a live deer that had been hit and placed in the back of the driver’s car. Police officers in Newberry Township freed the animal after the stop.

Those in the vehicle explained to the officers that they kept driving after realizing the animal was still alive. Officers revealed that they told a passenger to let the animal go. Police posted a video that shows the officer struggling to carry the deer across the road.

According to police, the driver continues to be investigated for suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

COVID Spreads in Whitetail Deers

The government is currently busy trying to get COVID-19 under control in humans. We doubt they ever considered what they’d have to do if it ever traveled to animals. Thankfully, that is in the hands of wildlife officials. But not, authorities might now know why the virus is spreading to whitetail deer.

Officials have not confirmed how these wild animals are catching COVID. But, the suggestion is that deer are drinking contaminated water. The Daily Mail reports that research shows the virus lasts in human feces and wastewater. 

Animals catching COVID is increasingly common. Areas in Illinois, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Ohio are seeing the highest numbers.

Suresh Kuchipudi, Associate Director of the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory from Penn State made a statement. “We found that 80% of the sampled deer in December were positive for SARS-CoV-2. This proportionally represents about a 50-fold greater burden of positivity than what was reported at the peak of infection in humans at the time. The number of SARS-CoV-2 positive deer increased over the period from April to December 2020. The greatest increases coincide with the peak of deer hunting season last year.”

Many fear that with hunters killing infected deer, new strains could begin affecting humans and animals. However, scientists claim there is no evidence to support such worry.

Officer Frees Two Deer After Antlers Entangle in Brawl

Last year in December, something truly incredible happened. After witnessing two species of deer fighting, an officer frees the animals after their antlers get stuck together.

When two male deer engage in physical altercations, it is often to win the affection of a female deer.

“It is rare enough to see two locked deer, let alone different species! A hunter stumbled across these two and called the local conservation officer who responded to assist. Once it was safe, the officer was able to approach and saw off a portion of antler, freeing the two deer,” the officer states.