Man Says He Couldn’t Get Help For Deer Stuck On Spiked Fence
Jun 17, 2019, 9:06 PM | Updated: 10:19 pm
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – A man says he was given the run-around for trying to help an injured deer that was stuck on a spiked fence in South Jordan.
Gavin Krushensky was driving through a neighborhood near 9800 S. 1000 W. on Monday afternoon when a deer crossed his path. When it went to jump an iron fence, it got stuck on one of the spikes.
“When it jumped here, the fence was closed just like this,” Krushensky demonstrated. “It jumped and hit these spikes and then finally came down on that one.”
Krushensky, feeling helpless, watched as the animal struggled, unable to free itself.
“It was freaking out. It was kicking,” he said. “The gate was unlocked and so it was kicking back and forth hitting itself against the back fence.”
Krushensky says he immediately called South Jordan Animal Control, but they said they didn’t deal with wild animals so he should call the Division of Wildlife Resources.
So he did.
But he says someone who answered at DWR told him to call dispatch first.
So he did.
“I was on the phone with dispatch for probably 15 minutes all in the time this deer is still hanging here,” said Krushensky.
Krushensky said it was between 40-50 minutes before animal control showed up after all.
By then, the deer had freed itself. It had been stuck on that fence for a half an hour.
So who is the right agency to call? DWR officials say it’s them.
“Today’s instance, I’m not really sure exactly what happened to that phone call,” said Faith Heaton Jolley, DWR spokesperson.
Jolley says they don’t know what the mix-up was, however, they have about 50 officers around the state that do respond to calls like these.
“If it is a protected wildlife, give us a call because we do respond to that,” she said. “So those are deer, elk, moose, cougars, bears.”
Krushensky says he watched the deer walk away, but it was bleeding and hurt.
He thinks there needs to be better protocol in place when calling in injured wildlife.
“That’s not right to have the deer hanging up on the fence and kids could walk by and to see that isn’t pleasant to see,” he said.
