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Metchosin driver striking a deer heralds a need for caution

Vehicle incident likely not the last of its kind in Greater Victoria
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This picture from Mainroad Group shows the remains of a deer on the Trans-Canada Highway about to be picked up on Highway 1 in Greater Victoria. (Black Press file photo)

A recent motor vehicle incident serves as a reminder to keep an eye out for deer on the roads this spring as they start venturing out of the woodwork with their fawn.

An RCMP officer responded to a call from a citizen on Sunday around 11 a.m. that a driver hit a deer while it was crossing the road in the 3800 block of Metchosin Road.

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Const. Nancy Saggar of the West Shore RCMP said the officer arrived at the scene to discover a deer with all of its legs broken laying in a nearby ditch. The officer fired two shots at the deer to end its suffering.

West Shore RCMP contacted the district of Metchosin to have staff pick up the carcass.

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Officers who come across injured animals on the job have to evaluate the state of that animal and decide their course of action accordingly, Saggar said.

“If there’s a chance the animal could be saved, then the duty is upon us to call the right people to put that in place.”

ALSO READ: Animals involved in 11,000 vehicle collisions annually across B.C.

If the animal is endangered or a bird of prey, RCMP officers would call a wildlife rehabilitation center to see whether or not they can be taken in, Saggar added.

swikar.oli@goldstreamgazette.com


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