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
'No sign of life' at crash site of helicopter carrying Iran's president
Rescuers on Monday found a helicopter that was carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, which had crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran the day before.
Court eases internet restrictions for Sask. man who matched with a 15-year-old girl on Tinder
A Saskatchewan man who had a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl he met on Tinder successfully appealed to shorten release conditions barring him from online dating.
Stittsville residents seeking answers as bylaw cracks down on street basketball nets
Stittsville residents on Kearnsley Way are seeking answers after an unusual bylaw crackdown on Friday. Every home with a basketball net received a ticket instructing homeowners to remove their nets from the road.
'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
What do we know so far about the mysterious crash of the helicopter carrying Iran's president?
The apparent crash of a helicopter carrying Iran's president and foreign minister on Sunday sent shock waves around the region.
Ex-partner charged with first-degree murder after 55-year-old woman killed in Montreal
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide. The woman's ex-spouse has been charged with first-degree murder.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Toxic drugs circulating in northeastern Ont., police say
Canada’s largest First Nations police service, the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service issued a community safety alert as extremely toxic drugs are likely circulating in many of the communities it serves.