This handsome young guy has a badly broken right back leg. He can get around
but the leg wobbles at the break, so he can't really support any weight on it.
There is a doe in our neighborhood who has lived with a broken leg for years.
I think it is four years ago that we first noticed her. She can't run but she
manages to feed herself and she looks pretty healthy apart from the leg.
She has even had fawns at least two times.
It is natural to wonder if injured animals should be humanely put down. When
the doe broke her leg years ago one of our neighbors called the BC government
to ask about this. He was told that the policy is to let nature take its course.
Based on what I have seen of the doe I believe this is the right policy. She is
having a full deer life, even though she has more challenges than the other deer.
Hopefully this guy will do as well as the doe. He usually stays on the property
of one of our neighbors (where he is in this photo), and she feeds him.
None of the Quadra wolves or cougars come around our neighborhood,
so he is safe from predators. Still, it must be a hard life.
Best viewed at original size.