Vancouver’s downtown deer who became social media sensation killed by car

Earlier in the summer, Vancouver residents were enchanted when a docile deer began wandering around downtown.

The oblivious deer stopped traffic as she wandered down busy road corridors as people got out of their cars to snap pictures. She was seen hovering around the edges of walkways where runners jogged along Stanley Park.

The deer was believed to have lived inside the park, a massive green space in Vancouver’s downtown bordering some of the most dense residential neighbourhoods in Canada, and along the city’s concrete city centre.

Now a deer who park board officials believe was the famous Downtown Deer (she even had her own hashtag) has been found dead after being hit by a car in the park’s causeway.

Around 7:30 pm on Sunday police were called to the south end of the Lions Gate Bridge where a deer had been struck by a car and killed.

The deer was removed from the roadway by Mainroad Contracting. City of Vancouver Animal Control staff also attended the accident. Two cars were damaged.

“The deer had become habituated to people feeding and petting it. I want to emphasize how important it is for people to maintain an appropriate distance from wildlife such as deer, raccoons and coyotes. Contact with people can cause animals to become dependent and aggressive towards humans,” said Vancouver Park Board Biologist Nick Page.

Unfortunately, habituated deer cannot often be released successfully into the wild.

The deer would have either become a problem somewhere else or died due to being unable to fend for itself. Finding sanctuaries willing to receive animals in these circumstances is a challenge, according to the park board.

Once again, we remind people that this is exactly the kind of tragedy that often occurs when wildlife become habituated to humans. Please do not touch, feed or take in orphaned fawns or other wildlife.

Sad to report: death of downtown deer confirmed. Reminder to all to let wild things be wild! http://t.co/C58Ordbuqy pic.twitter.com/LEuxrSyVCQ

— Vancouver Park Board (@ParkBoard) September 14, 2015