New working group will analyze city process for euthanizing injured deer

The Animal Advisory Commission last week voted to form a working group dedicated to examining the city’s protocol on euthanizing injured deer.

Former commissioner and North Austin resident Craig Nazor brought the issue before the commission at its meeting on Dec. 11. He told the commission that he lives near Walnut Creek Metropolitan Park and often sees the deer that visit the greenbelt near his home.

“At night, the deer come into the little greenbelt to eat,” Nazor said. “Because that’s what deer do, but as the city fills up they have to cross more roads and sooner or later a deer’s going to get hit.”

Recently, Nazor said he heard news that an injured deer was stranded in the greenbelt.

“And then one day I get this call, and you can see this deer is right next to the path. It’s very seriously injured,” Nazor said. The deer had been hit by a vehicle.

Neighbors called 311, but Nazor said they were told that Animal Services officers do not respond to wildlife calls. Austin Wildlife Rescue does not respond to calls about adult deer, Nazor said. Unlike fawns, injured adult deer, because of their size, can almost never be captured and successfully treated.

Unable to find anywhere to turn to for help, the neighbors called Nazor.

In turn, Nazor called a City Council member and a Travis County commissioner. The trio contacted the game warden, who recommended calling the park rangers because the deer was located in a city park.

“They said they’d be there in 14 days,” Nazor said. “I have a neighbor who has guns as a hunter, and I could have asked him to go out, shoot the deer, but that probably would have been illegal three ways. It’s not in season, I don’t know if he had a hunting license and (it’s) discharge of a weapon in the city limits.”

Ultimately, Nazor contacted Animal Services staff, which sent two Austin police officers to the scene. First the officers had to request and obtain permission from the department in order to discharge a firearm in a city park. Nazor suggested a protocol at the police department to improve response time in the future.

Jason Garza of the Animal Services Department said there is already a process in place. If a resident calls 311 to report an injured animal, the operator will put in a service ticket to the city’s animal protection officers. If it is a large deer, the APOs are supposed to notify the police department, which will then send officers to go out and assess and, if required, euthanize the animal.

“The issue is whatever was supposed to happen did not happen,” Nazor said.

Garza said the department will follow up with 311 to determine how this process broke down. The entities have successfully handled such incidents in the past, he said.

After the discussion, the commission voted to approve the formation of a working group to examine the current process for reporting injured wildlife and determine if any changes are needed to ensure animal welfare.

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