A deer that a woman had rescued and tried to make into a pet ended up fatally attacking her. Jodi Proger, a 64-year-old grandmother, was tragically killed by the deer on November 15 while she was trapped with it in an enclosure. Proger began rescuing deer in 2013 after witnessing a doe being hit by a car on a highway.
She rescued a fawn that was only a few days old, found circling its mother’s body by the road. Despite facing opposition from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Proger managed to keep the fawn, named Wheezer, which was threatened with being culled.
Describing Wheezer as being like a dog, Proger dedicated a Facebook page to the deer, showcasing them in matching outfits on various occasions. Before her tragic death, Proger had also brought home other deer, as depicted in her Facebook posts. It was clarified later by Proger’s daughter, Jennifer Bryan, that Wheezer was not responsible for the fatal attack.
Bryan emphasized that Proger was knowledgeable about the risks of owning deer and had a permit to care for them. An investigation into the incident has been initiated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
While deer are involved in numerous fatalities in the US annually, most are due to collisions with vehicles. They account for over 96% of all wildlife-related deaths in the country.