A Vancouver Island buck that made headlines for sporting a curly ‘do of garden netting found itself in more trouble this week after accidentally trapping a second deer in its plastic mane.
The Don King of deer was sparring in the Victoria suburb of Oak Bay on Monday when its opponent’s antlers got stuck in its unfortunate headwear.
The awkward predicament forced conservation officers to step in and tranquilize the blacktail buck for its own safety on Tuesday.
“One went one way, the tranquilized one subsequently laid down and fell asleep,” officer Peter Pauwels said. “I got all the netting off it and it kind of staggered away. It looks pretty tired, pretty sore, pretty stiff, but I think it’s going to be OK.”
The buck’s tangled antlers were spotted by area residents weeks ago, but conservation officers initially decided not to tranquilize the animal because the netting didn’t appear to be affecting its health.
If it hadn’t been removed this week, the deer would have been freed naturally when it shed its antlers next year.
Photo Gallery: Don King of deer tangles second animal in mane
