Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials say a woman suffered minor injuries after a mule deer attacked her.
The victim was playing basketball with friends in Aspen when the animal approached the group. The people gave the deer space and backed away, but the buck attacked.
The woman had minor arm injuries from shielding her face but did not seek further medical attention.
Wildlife officials believe the woman did everything right, but the deer had lost its fear of people and was possibly fed by humans in the past. They were able to track the deer, which continued to show aggressive behavior. CPW officials say the deer’s odd behavior led them to euthanize the animal.
Mule deer are commonly found in the West, compared to the more wide-ranging whitetail deer. Mule deer are also slightly larger but rarely considered aggressive.
This incident is a sad reminder to never feed wildlife as it can lead to habituation, and many of those animals end up euthanized.
