A desperate effort by a couple eating lunch in a Lakeshore Drive park this afternoon failed to save a deer, struck by a car and later shot by police.
Jessica Lamarre, her brother, and her boyfriend Currey Serre, all from Mattawa, were on the beach at Eva Wardlaw Park alongside Parks Creeks around 11 this morning.
"We were sitting on a picnic table and spotted a deer peeking out of the bushes alongside the creek and I told my boyfriend 'Look there's a deer right here in the middle of the city', then it ran out in front of the (Lakeshore) traffic and got hit by a car."
The collision sent the deer flying about 30 feet into the parking lot of the Franklin Motel, but the vehicle didn't stop.
"We called police."
When an officer arrived he checked the deer, and taking into consideration that it had two fawns nearby, decided not to shoot the animal, hoping it would recover enough to live. Currey then helped the deer, partially carrying it, back across the road to the park where the fawns had been spotted while the officer stayed to make sure the deer was ok.
The deer then seemed to have a burst of energy and headed into Lake Nipissing.
The couple noticed immediately that the deer couldn't swim properly and was starting to drown.
That's when Currey sprang into action to help once again.
"My boyfriend ran into the water and started swimming with it so it wouldn't drown."
He managed to help the injured animal back to shore where it collapsed on the beach.
"I contacted the MNR and they said that if it's not in the forest they can't do anything. If it's in the city it's the city's responsibility. So we contacted the city and they said they couldn't help because they didn't possess any firearms. They told me to call the police back, which I did. I was told there was nothing they could do so I said 'Really there's nobody who can help me?' and he said 'I've got things to do' and he hung up on me.
"So clearly it shows me that animals aren't important to this town or even the government. So if they are suffering nobody will do anything."
The couple was comforting the animal, calming it, stroking its neck and talking softly to it when BayToday arrived.
The hindquarters of the deer were red and skin was torn by the impact and it was clearly in great discomfort.
"The damage was enough to put it into suffering and misery. It was sickening," said Jessica.
As the couple waited, a police officer arrived with a shotgun in hand. Currey was kneeling, supporting the deer's head in his arms, and fearing what was coming next.
The officer inspected the deer and noted it's bloated belly indicated severe internal bleeding. It was too far gone to save.
He asked Currey, who's eyes were filled with tears, to release the animal and stand back.
It was obvious that this was the last thing the officer wanted to do and was uncomfortable with his chore, but with a single shot to the heart and lung, ended the animal's suffering.
The deer was so bloated with blood, the officer's face was sprayed with red flecks as he delivered the shot.
Afterwards, the couple acknowledged that they were satisfied by the officer's actions but felt action should have been taken sooner.
"Two hours after the incident, especially a deer that has been hit and was reported drowning. It's injured. You need to put animals out of their misery."
City crews arrived moments later to take the carcass away.
