Deer shot by police after being struck by car near High Park
A deer was shot by police after it was struck by a vehicle near High Park on Sunday.
The doe was hit at around 7:38 a.m. on Coe Hill Dr. The driver was not injured, according to police.
Police, emergency medical services and animal services staff responded to the scene. Police said they closed off Coe Hill Dr. as they tried to secure medical help for the deer. They called the Toronto Zoo but all their veterinarians were in surgery and unavailable.
Trinity Hollis was there taking care of the deer. She said that when she first saw her, her eyes were full of blood. Hollis and others there cooled the deer’s eyes, washing and wiping them for hours until they were cleaned and the doe could open her eyes.
Hollis said they tried to reach veterinarians, wildlife experts, animal refuge groups but no one was available to help. And so, for about three hours, bystanders cared for the doe. Police said they were then advised to “dispatch†the deer after describing her condition to veterinarians.
Hollis said that after hours of care, the deer got up on its own, and that just as it did, police covered it in a blanket and took it to the side.
That’s when the crowd heard shots. Police had killed the deer.
She was shot twice in the chest, out of the public’s view, police said.
Police reopened Coe Hill Dr. for traffic. Animal services removed the doe’s body.
