Ranchers guard wounded baby deer in Texas — and find a surprising, floating culprit
_fitted.png "Three baby deer were left injured and terrified after an unexpected threat approached them at the 4 Generations Ranch near Crawford, Texas.")
A trio of baby axis deer were found injured and terrified inside their pen at a Texas ranch after being menaced by a surprising culprit.
Owners of the 4 Generations Ranch, in Crawford, went to bottle feed the young deer at about 9:30 p.m. on May 18, but were met with a shocking sight, co-owner Hunter Meyer said in a Facebook post.
“Our hearts and stomachs sunk when three of our sweet axis babies came up to the fence with terrible gashes all over their faces and shoulders. Their hearts were racing!”
They stood guard over the deer and their minds raced, wondering what could have done this, the post said.
“After loving on the babies and cleaning them up,” they searched the area and soon discovered the threat.
“It wasn’t a coyote. It wasn’t a bobcat. It wasn’t a snake. It wasn’t your typical predator that caused these babies harm,” Meyer said in the social media post. “It was not one, but EIGHT inflated nylon balloons.”
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It’s not clear where the balloons came from, but Meyer said they must have floated to the ranch and hovered near the pen, scaring the deer who then panicked and hurt themselves trying to escape them.
“Can you imagine the fear they experienced when these balloons were hovering over the pen? When they dropped down into their home?” Meyer said in the post. “Our hearts hurt just thinking about it.”
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It’s not the first time balloons have been a problem at the ranch.
“This is the second time in less than 8 months that our animals have been traumatized by balloons. Thankfully, the first time we were present when the balloons got caught in the fence,” the post read. “This time we weren’t so lucky.”
Balloons can pose a danger not only to livestock but to wild animals as well, which can mistakenly eat the balloons or, in some cases, get caught up by the dangling string and die, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“Please, STOP RELEASING BALLOONS!! We know your intentions are never to cause harm, but just look at these babies,” Meyer said in the post. “THIS is what happens when they land in a rancher’s field. It could have been worse, and we are thankful that we have all our babies here with us still.”
Crawford is a roughly 110-mile drive south of Dallas-Fort Worth.
This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Ranchers guard wounded baby deer in Texas — and find a surprising, floating culprit."