Officials say confused deer will be put to sleep

PORT MANSFIELD (AP) — A tamed deer that believes itself to be a dog will be put to death because of aggressive behavior towards community members, officials said.

The young buck appeared at the home of Sally and Tom Ken Hagen last year, and they named it Juan Deer, the couple told the Valley Morning Star. Sally Ken Hagen said the deer's confusion about its species – and its subsequent behavior – became a concern as the animal grew bigger.

“He thinks he's a dog,” she said. “He was always gentle ... but now he's got antlers and he's scary. He even rammed against me.”

Other Port Mansfield residents said the deer has followed them while they walked their dogs and has occasionally become aggressive.

“My dog was afraid of him and ran around behind me,” resident Bill Ferguson told the newspaper. “That made the deer mad, that I was between him and my dog.”

Ferguson said the deer then butted his leg, leaving a large bruise and breaking the skin on his forearm.

And Ferguson was not the only resident to complain about the animal, said James Lindsey, a Texas Parks and Wildlife game warden.

“There have been several incidents with that deer,” Lindsey said, adding that officials had decided to “put him to sleep.” Lindsey said authorities considered other options but ruled them out because of logistical problems. The options included releasing the deer into the wild in a remote location, but the animal wouldn't know how to nourish itself because it has been fed by people, Lindsey said.

Sally KenHogan said she wasn't satisfied with the officials' decision.

“Why don't they dart him and put him on a ranch?” she said. “Some ranches will pay money for a healthy deer.”

She urged authorities to consider other possibilities, adding that she did not consider the deer a major threat.

“Juan wouldn't purposely hurt anybody,” she said.