Despite a recent incident involving an attack on a deer by
family pets, the annual mating season for deer has not brought
about an increase in auto accidents involving the animals, at least
in Morgan Hill.
Despite a recent incident involving an attack on a deer by family pets, the annual mating season for deer has not brought about an increase in auto accidents involving the animals, at least in Morgan Hill.
Police Department Animal Control Officer Daniel Pina said Thursday he sees more troublesome turkeys these days than defiant deer.
“There really have been no significant incidents,” he said. “But turkeys, any time you go into the hills, you can see the turkeys, sometimes maybe a hundred of them.”
The turkeys sometimes trespass on private property and wander onto roadways and cause traffic problems. Although they can be aggressive birds, they do not alarm residents as recent mountain lion sightings do.
Pina said the concerns over mountain lions, the turkeys and the usual pet problems occupied his time more than having to dealing with injured deer.
Other South Bay agencies have reported an increase in auto accidents involving deer, attributing these to the mating season, when deer become bolder, coming out of their usual habitats and wandering onto major roadways, with often fatal results.
On Sept. 14, there was an incident in Morgan Hill involving a deer and two pit bulls, but Pina said otherwise he hasn’t had to deal with more than normal incidents involving deer.
The deer apparently wandered into Bluejay Court, where, according to MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson, some of the residents feed the deer.
Bluejay Court is located in the Holiday Lakes Estates area in northwest Morgan Hill.
“Two pit bulls apparently escaped from their fenced area and attacked the deer,” said Sampson Wednesday. “The deer’s injuries were minor, a few bites to the muzzle area, and it took off.”
The owners of the pit bulls, Sampson said, were told they need to keep their dogs leashed when off the property and contained in the yard when not on walks. They were advised to increase the height of the fence around the area where the dogs are kept.
“When it comes to these types of problems, there are three categories,” said Sampson. “The owners of these dogs were told their dogs are now considered category one, which means they must be kept leashed and contained. Category two means there have been problems with the dog, and the dog must be secure and quarantined to a specific area. Category three means there has been an attack, with an injury, and the animal is taken away and possibly euthanized.”
Pina said even though Morgan Hill residents have not seen many problems with deer wandering onto roadways, it is still a good idea to remain alert.
