Well, you said put it in a petting zoo, which was a fine idea.
Except what’s the difference from the deer living domesticated in a petting zoo, and the deer living domesticated at the guy’s house?
Other than the fact that you want to discourage others from trying to raise their own deer in their homes?
Given the situation, the actual choice is between euthanasia and the petting zoo.
Other than that, I look to the fact that laws against keeping wild animals are not new, were passed for legitimate reasons -- and they make sense from several different standpoints. No sense in rejecting laws that have real and practical merit.
It's amazing how so many folks on this thread want to reject good sense when it comes to "their rights" with respect to something that doesn't belong to them in the first place.
Seems to me like a lot of folks are having a "bambi moment" that feeds on emotion rather than common sense.