Deer family appears to accept B.C. man as one of their own
There is no denying that Robert Conrad has a way with animals.
We watched as he approached horses at the Cheekye Ranch in Squamish, and was able to put them at ease almost instantly. They were not spooked, and appeared to genuinely enjoy his company.
Years earlier, he had a similar bond with horses he worked with in the Okanagan.
“This horse would just fall asleep in my arms, and he would lick my face, and lick my neck, and he would do it for, like, half an hour,” he recalled while sitting on the bank of the river.
“I thought, could I try something like this with the deer?”
For the next two-and-a-half years, beginning in 2018, he spent thousands of hours on Crown land behind his home off Okanagan Lake, sitting still and waiting patiently for deer.
“They would sit like maybe 10 metres away from me, but they got more comfortable with me, and then they would get up and actually come closer to me and then sit right down,” he said.
He told CTV News that he never fed them, and rarely moved. The deer just got closer and closer.
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing a unique bond with deer.
“I was able to pet them and got to the point that I could hug them,” he said. “I was able to touch their wet nose, which is amazing. It’s nice, wet and soft.”
Eventually, Conrad was able to groom and run them, he could even take naps by their side.
A young buck enjoyed playfully sparring.
“I would actually put on a life jacket and he would actually play with me so he would put his antlers in, and it would be like a tug-of-war, just like he would do with the other males who were his friends,” Conrad recounted with amazement.
Doe became so comfortable, they would introduce their newborn fawn.
“The mother somehow communicated with the deer that this guy is almost like one of us.”
Many of these encounters were captured in thousands of pictures and video, which Conrad is still sorting through.
He is well aware some people think he’s nuts for spending so much with them. Some of his neighbours became annoyed with it, and starting threatening the deer.
“People treated the deer very terribly. They would throw rocks at them, they would shoot BB and pellets at them,” he said. “If you don't want deer around, then live in Tokyo or New York or Vancouver.”
B.C. resident Robert Conrad spent thousands of hours on Crown land developing a unique bond with deer.
The situation became bad enough that Conrad felt he had to move away. He now lives in Squamish and works in human relations.
“I just felt that for the deer to have some hope of being left alone, that I would have to kind of leave them,” he said, admitting he misses them dearly.
But he hopes he can teach others what he’s learned - that deer are smart, peaceful and very quiet animals.
When he returned to visit a few years later, he was convinced his “deer family” remembered exactly who he was.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More Canadians only making minimum payment on credit cards: TransUnion
Some Canadians are seeing their credit card balances grow as the cost-of-living crisis and higher interest rates eat into household budgets, a new report shows.
Severe thunderstorms, 15 cm of snow: Canadian weather forecast highlights
Well into spring, some parts of Canada could experience a wintry comeback, while other areas are bracing for severe thunderstorms, according to local forecasts.
Tornado touches down west of the Island of Montreal
Emergency services in the town of Rigaud, Que. are investigating after a tornado touched down shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
House from 'Home Alone' hits the market for US$5.25 million
Kevin McCallister’s childhood home has hit the market for US$5.25 million. At just over 9,000 square feet, the house from the 'Home Alone' movie was last sold in 2012 for $1,585,000.
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
Israeli tanks advance into Rafah's centre despite global outcry
Israeli tanks advanced to the centre of Rafah for the first time on Tuesday, witnesses said, three weeks into a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city that has stirred global condemnation for its continued civilian toll.
At least 60 reports of Lyme disease so far as Ontario enters tick season
Peak tick season is only just beginning but reports of bites – and tick-borne illnesses – are already higher than normal in Ontario.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
Arm of mummy came off after mishandling by museum staff: Mexican government
Mexico's federal archaeology agency on Monday accused the conservative-governed city of Guanajuato of mistreating one of the country’s famous mummified 19th century bodies.