Posted on 05/25/2006 10:01:47 AM PDT by GreenEggsNHam
Deer Attack Three at Ill. University By JIM SUHR, Associated Press Writer 5 hours ago
CARBONDALE, Ill. - A year after the normally docile creatures attacked seven people on a university campus here, the deer have turned bullish again.
Three people were attacked by deer within minutes of each other Tuesday on a footpath at Southern Illinois University, police said Wednesday. One doe probably was responsible for all three attacks, said Todd Sigler, the school's public safety chief.
One worker needed stitches for a gash on his forehead, another suffered cuts, bruises and a sprained wrist, and a student was left with a scratched jaw. Two of the victims sought medical treatment.
This week's incidents came earlier in fawning season than last year's attacks, which officials attributed to a combination of protective motherly instinct, squeezed habitat and, in some cases, people trying to approach fawns. There was no indication that anyone hurt Tuesday had provoked the deer, Sigler said.
"It's bothersome," Sigler said. "We certainly appreciate the deer, and we don't want to get rid of them. At the same time, we don't want people getting injured. It's a difficult situation."
SIU officials last week launched a public-awareness campaign to implore anyone on the 20,000-student campus to watch out for deer, to not approach the animals and, if a wild-eyed deer starts bounding their way, run.
"The options explained to us last year _ relocating the deer, tranquilizing them, thinning them out (through controlled hunts) _ all come with a downside," Sigler said. "We're going to try this education approach first and see what happens."
The path where Tuesday's attacks occurred has been closed off; handwritten signs were posted reading "Caution: Deer attacks."
The path encircles a lake and is less than a mile from the thickly forested campus woods and paved trails where deer confronted many last June.
More than one deer was believed to be responsible for the 2005 run-ins, in which four people suffered mostly minor injuries and others were threatened.
Walking through the Thompson Woods on Wednesday, Jane Swanson talked of how people joked about the deer last summer, saying they were more worried about wildlife than muggers.
But the chair of the school's psychology department says it's no longer a laughing matter.
"It makes sense that these poor deer are trying to protect their newborns, but we've got to figure out something other then just avoiding the deer," she said.
There would be no problem if these people would just abandon their irrational hatred of venison.
That's why ya gotta kill 'em and eat 'em. They're dangerous. (and delicious!)
Also near the old frat houses, yes? LOL! That's a nice 2.2 mile jog around that lake.
When the psych dept. chair opines on the mental state of deer, it IS still a laughing matter.
Cannot recall. I went to law school there 10 years ago (eep!).... I thought the old frat houses were near the main campus.
oh dear...
We should really work harder to understand the fundamental reasons for deer anger.
Here is some trivia.
Deer hate humans, killing more Americans than any other animal. The most common method of attack is to leap through the windshield of an automobile to get at the passengers. When I first started looking at this, I was disturbed to find the deer, in an effort to avoid publicity don't concentrate their attacks in any one area but attack seemingly randomly around the nation.
After putting together most of my research, I saw a pattern that made my blood run cold. In almost every attack I could document, the deer had chosen an area where law enforcement was scattered and incapable of an effective, rapid response. Not one of the attacks in my study took place , where a SWAT team or other large police force could be called upon, and expected to arrive in a timely manner.
In Florida we used to make venison sausage. As I remember it was a mix of pork, spices, venison, and maple sugar. We would fry up a batch along with eggs, grits and camp coffee.
hahahahaha! You might be on to something here!
This is the result of all the pseudo enviros who think killing excess deer is wrong.
Mmmmm. Man, that sounds yummy.
Deer, doing jobs GDI's* do not want to do
*Gosh Darn Independents
I blame this all on the Disney film "Bambi".
Anthropomorphizing animals makes people forget that they are still wild animals (see: Timothy Snackwell).
Damn hooved rats are a major pest here in Illinois. With the animal rights whackos getting hunting restricted or stopped in some areas and the idiot city folk moving out into their Mchouses in the middle of former cornfields, the deer are really thick. I plan on dusting off my gun and getting one or two of the 20 or so that are now hanging out on my property this upcoming season.
I used to work at the Dresden nuke plant where the deer are especially thick. A few years ago, ComEd planned a limited bow hunt to thin the herd. When PETA got wind of it, 4 or 5 chained themselves to the door of the CEO's office and that ball-less wonder canceled the hunt. The next day a chemistry tech going off night shift was killed by one going through his windshield.
"One doe was responsible for all three attacks."
Doe, a deer, a female deer? It's an enigma wrapped in a mystery.
I've never heard of does attacking people, though.
Question: What animal kills the most humans in the USA?
a. Alligators
b. Sharks
C. Deer
d. Bear
e. Snakes
If the deer would confine their attacks to the faculty, I'd consider contributing to their legal defense fund.
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