***Ducking***
Posted on 06/04/2012 7:07:59 PM PDT by SJackson
WILMER, Alabama -- Kenneth Webster has what you would call a "unique" family pet. Her name is Bambi, and yes, she's a deer.
"I found her on the side of Highway 43 lying beside her mother," said Webster. The mother was killed by a car. "I thought she was dead too until I walked up to her and she picked her head up."
That was four years ago. Bambi's been part of the family ever since, living comfortably in their fenced-in yard in Wilmer.
"She gets 50 dollars a week worth of food, if not more," Webster said, describing the doe's diet of fresh fruit, grains, and water.
There's only one problem. Keeping wild animals as pets is illegal in Alabama.
"Somebody called and reported seeing her," said Webster.
Keith Gauldin, a Wildlife Biologist at the Alabama Department of Natural Resources enforced the law. He tranquilized Bambi, and they dropped her off at a sort of "deer sanctuary" fifty miles away on Mason Ferry Road.
"It's not really us being the bad guys," said Gauldin. "It was their mistake when they first captured the deer as a youngster, so he shouldn't have done that in the first place, and we wouldn't have had a problem."
Little did they know, Bambi was homeward bound. Kenneth Webster was at work at the time, when his neighbors called with the unbelievable news: Bambi was back at his front gate.
Neighbor Joey Hall spotted Bambi on their street.
"We got a little fence in our backyard, so we put it there," said Hall. "My dad went and called him, told him we had his deer."
Nearly two weeks later, the domesticated doe is back home in the Webster's yard. But her chances of staying there are slim.
"We have a regulation in place that prohibits that, that keeps the general public from keeping any species of wildlife in captivity, so, unfortunately the law is the law," said Gauldin.
"You can see the scratches on her from the travel," said Bambi's owner. "I don't know what all she went through, and only God knows what all she went through to make it back, but she made it back, so why not leave her alone?" said Webster.
Kenneth Webster says it's a miracle Bambi made it back alive. He worries she won't have the instincts to survive on her own.
Gauldin says they plan to enforce the law and confiscate Bambi once again. This time, they may take it someplace different.
News 5 will continue to follow this story and let you know if the State decides to make an exception, or if they take Bambi a second time.
If you’d like to be on or off this Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me. And ping me is you see articles of interest.
Oh crap. Now the deer will be taken away from them. Probably killed.
Just remember that The Law has little to do with Justice unless you are willing to pay BIG $$$.
Bambi needs to go the bunker.
The deer doesn’t like that law either.
I’m surprised the cops didn’t just shoot the deer.
“Gauldin” and his chain of command need to be tranquilized and released in Zimbabwe.
Sounds like somebody President Dear Leader might want to praise on his next radio talk, a real public spirited civilian.
This Gauldin sounds like a moron. He would rather see the deer dead than loved - this deer is clearly tame, not wild.
I knew withour even opening the thread that this is how it would end.
We PAY these people to do this kind of stuff to us.
The eventual death of the pet deer at the hand of the law matters not, only the funding of the health and retirement accounts.
***Ducking***
I was thinking the same thing.... Bambi needs to go to the freezer.
**ducking with you**
Sounds like a good time for the governor to get some good PR. Issue a pardon or something, declare the deer a dog, I don’t know...create a state park out of their back yard...
I revisited the famous “I need a Bambulance tape” tonight after seeing this story.
It’s been a while since I listened to this..quite a few years...and I still laughed today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x05EeeN6pBM
Years ago, in East Hartland, CT a fawn was rescued from a stone foundation by the owner of a local aircraft corporation...very rural area... Nursed it, raised it and this fawn became part of the family..along with the cat and the dog the family would take walks...a sight to see.... But Authorities stepped in...unlawful to have a deer - one fall day a hunter drove up to the general store in town, marveling how this deer “just walked up to him” and he had an easy, clear shot...of course this was the pet deer - dead and strapped ontop of his vehicle. Very sad scene. The whole town cried that day.
Some peeps just can't take care of themselves (I've had a deer enter my car through the windshield @ 65 mph and die in the passenger seat/floor.)
Those are the King’s deer. People cannot keep the King’s deer.
How far we’ve fallen.
“Are you game?”
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