Deer Attacks 77-Year-Old Colorado Woman After Following Her Into Home; Animal Euthanized

A deer entered an elderly woman’s home in Colorado on Tuesday and attacked her with its hooves.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officers said the 77-year-old woman, whose identity was not revealed, was bringing groceries from her vehicle when the deer entered the home through the propped door. The deer then got into the kitchen and began eating food that was kept there.

The woman started throwing objects at the animal’s hooves in order to scare it out of the home and when she turned around, it began attacking her with its hooves. She managed to shove the animal out, however, when she was closing the door, the deer ran back in. Before it could attack her again, the woman used a mop to push the animal out of her home and immediately shut the door. This incident resulted in the elderly woman suffering from bruises and multiple cuts.

After the deer was gone, the woman called the CPW. She told the responding officer that her neighbors fed the deer, which is illegal in the state. The following morning, the officer returned to the home after receiving information that the same deer was in the yard. The officer euthanized the animal and its body was sent for a necropsy.

Speaking about the incident, Cody Wigner, CPW assistant area wildlife manager for the Pikes Peak region, said, "This is another dangerous example of what happens when people feed wildlife. They become habituated to people, lose their fear and become aggressive and dangerous."

"This deer showed no fear of the woman and was quite comfortable entering her home. And when our officer responded to the scene, it approached within a few feet. This tells me the deer was far too comfortable around people. Dangerously comfortable. It viewed humans as a source of getting food," Wigner added.

Wigner said similar animal-human conflicts may continue until people feed the wildlife, which is against the state law.

"This is why it is illegal to feed deer and why we urge people to make them feel uncomfortable in neighborhoods. The issue is far more serious than ruined landscaping or even the car wrecks deer cause on a daily basis on our roads," he further said.