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Deer at Hollywood Reservoir found with bone stuck in mouth; Wildlife officials trying to help

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Updated  October 15, 2024 5:54pm PDT
Pets and Animals
FOX 11

Deer has large bone stuck in its mouth

A deer was recently spotted at the Hollywood Reservoir with a large bone apparently stuck in its mouth. Wildlife officials say helping the animal may not be so easy.

The Brief

    • A female deer has been spotted near the Hollywood Reservoir, appearing to have a large bone stuck in its mouth.
    • Officials say deer will sometimes chew on bones for minerals.
    • Capturing and helping the deer could be difficult, officials say, because of the location.

LOS ANGELES - A female deer was recently spotted with a bone stuck in its mouth near the Hollywood Reservoir. Now, officials are working to try and help the animal.

By all accounts, it's a terrible situation for the deer, and for California Fish and Wildlife Biologist Kevin Howells, "this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this."

Howells believes the bone is a femur, but he can't tell from what animal. Deer tend to be grazers, or "browsers," as Howells calls them, but he says they will chew on bones they might find.

"They chew on bones infrequently, and they look to get minerals from bones that they are not getting from [elsewhere] in their diet."

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Howells said the last time he saw the deer was between two trees near the reservoir entrance. That was on Monday. Howells said the area is an incredibly difficult place to dart a deer, "because it takes about 10 minutes for the drug to take effect… enough time for the deer to scamper away and hide."

Howells said, "She's wounded. She's injured. She feels vulnerable. She's malnourished." Basically, he said, she's scared.

Private animal rescuer Austin Muhs said he's "very very concerned... very concerned."

He got involved after seeing a picture of the deer on social media. He said what Howells is trying to do "is very delicate and the deer already is in a very bad spot in terms of being emaciated and all that."

Meanwhile, Howells has his eyes out for the deer and says he's, "just hoping to get an opportunity to chemically immobilize her, assess the wounds and attempt to remove the bone if possible."