Aggressive deer stomps B.C. woman in her yard

A woman was seriously hurt Monday after being attacked by an aggressive deer in her own yard in southeast B.C., police say.

The woman was taking her dogs out when a deer came onto her property and stomped her, Kimberley RCMP Cpl. Todd Preston said.

"She did absolutely nothing wrong," Preston said. "The deer obviously had a fawn and was very aggressive." 

Travis Fooks said he was driving by the home when he heard screaming.

'She was cut, there was blood everywhere, her clothes were ripped to shreds.' —Travis Fooks, witness

"She was cut, there was blood everywhere, her clothes were ripped to shreds," he said. "I could see gashes [25 centimetres] long and where she wasn't cut she was purple. She was huddled on the ground with her two little dogs underneath her."

"I helped chase the deer off," Fooks said. "But it kept coming back. There were two other deer around as well and one neighbour was fending them off with a shovel."

Fooks says he called the police, the ambulance and conservation officers.

"While we were waiting for them to get there, the deer just kept trying to come at us. Once they got there, the [conservation officer] shot the deer," he said. "He waited until it moved up against the hill where there was no one around and shot it."

"We are asking the public to be extra vigilant during fawning season, especially when walking your dogs," Preston said. "Even if your dog is on a leash, the deer can still perceive it as a threat."

A growing deer population has led to a series of encounters with humans and with domestic pets  in B.C.