It’s not uncommon to see deer crossing the highway in McBride, B.C., but a deer dressed in hi-vis clothing? Not so much.
Andrea Arnold didn’t think anything of it when the car in front of her slowed down to allow an animal to cross. But when she saw the deer, “I did a double-, triple-take,” she says. “It was wearing clothing.”
Photo courtesy Andrea Arnold
She managed to snap a few photos of the deer as it crossed over the ditch onto another road. “I was glad because I didn’t think anybody would believe me otherwise,” she says. After Andrea posted the photos on a local Facebook page, interest quickly grew in the community of 600, enough to catch the attention of conservation officers. “Locals in McBride had identified an adult deer that appears to be wearing a hi-vis jacket. It is unknown how this occurred,” said the B.C. Conversation Officer Service (COS) in a statement from November 26th. “At present, the animal is mobile and able to feed, but there are concerns that if the jacket is secured onto the deer, that it may get caught in the woods, panic, and cause itself injury.”
The deer has been spotted a few times since. “It didn’t look like it was starving,” says Andrea. “It was wandering around town.” Late last week, more photos appeared on Facebook showing the deer with what was left of the jacket hanging around its neck. And on Friday afternoon, a group of locals rescued what they suspected to be the same deer with a black collar around its neck from a nearby river.
Since COS is located two hours away in Prince George, they’re relying on locals to keep tabs on the animal. Anyone with information should report it to the Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line. COS is also reminding the public to keep their distance from wildlife. “Any direct interaction causes undue stress upon the animals. Harassment of wildlife is a violation under the B.C. Wildlife Act.”
But the question remains—how did this deer end up in a hi-vis jacket? “Somebody had to have put it on the deer,” says Andrea. “But how and why? We still don’t know.” It hasn’t stopped locals from having a sense of humour about the whole thing. “I think I should call WorkSafe,” said one commenter on a different picture of an undressed deer. “This one’s not wearing proper PPE.”
Andrea wrote about the event for the local newspaper where she is a reporter, The Rocky Mountain Goat, but the story has also garnered national and international attention. In the past two weeks, Andrea has done interviews with the CBC, BBC Radio, and The Guardian. “I’ve been working for the newspaper for five and a half years,” she says. “I’ve taken and posted some really nice pictures, and it’s the crappy phone shot that makes international news. It’s mind-boggling.”
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