Aggressive deer strikes hikers on green link
NEW CANAAN — A trail is still closed Wednesday after a recent string of reports involving aggressive deer, including an incident where a pair of hikers were struck on the green link between the Nature Center and Irwin Park, according to Animal Control.
Both ends of the trail have been closed with caution tape.
Two women reported last week that a pair of deer ran toward them on a narrow area of the trail, flanked only by residential fencing, and they were struck when the animals could not get past them, according to Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm Wednesday.
“A couple claimed they were attacked by deer,” Land Trust board member Chris Schipper said. They wished no harm to the deer involved, he added.
The women were shaken and one had a scratch when they reported the incident, according to Halm.
Schipper believes the encounter was with a yearling, a deer between 1 and 2 years old, and a doe protecting a newborn. He believes a fawn was spotted, but was not able to confirm.
Animals have a fight or flight instinct and, when they are unable to escape, may fight, Halm said. Later in the day there were other reports of “unusual wildlife behavior,” she added.
A Land Trust member walking with her dog through the area reported witnessing a deer “acting very frantically,” Halm said. The deer did not attack, just snorted at the resident, Schipper said.
Land Trust members decided to close off the trail to relieve some of the pressure off the mother deer, which Schipper said they dubbed “Jane Doe.”
He expects the Land Trust will cut back foliage and create more space on the trail for the future. The green link consists of two land trust properties and an easement through residential properties between the Nature Center on Oenoke Road and Irwin Park on Weed Street.