Deer wearing dog collar kicks child, mother

A deer wearing an orange dog collar kicked a child in a Santa Rosa County neighborhood, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s weekly report.

After the May 8 incident, FWC officers investigated and found that the deer had been kept in a cage at a nearby residence. It had gotten loose and the 4-year-old child had tried to pet it. The deer had gone up on its back legs and struck the child on the head and back with its hooves. The child’s mother chased the deer off and was also kicked. Neither was seriously injured.

The owner of the deer admitted to raising it from a fawn. He was cited for maintaining wildlife that resulted in a threat to the public, the report said.