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BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. -- A Beaver County couple is upset after they say the Pennsylvania Game Commission killed a baby deer they rescued.

Rebecca Durr said she nursed the small fawn back to health after it was badly injured by a neighbor’s dog last month.

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Durr said she then called the game commission who promptly took the animal away and destroyed it despite her requests.

Wildlife conservation officer Matt Kramer said state law prohibits residents from harboring wild animals, according to Channel 11’s news exchange partner The Beaver County Times.

The main reasons are that animals can carry such diseases as rabies and heartworm, which can be transmitted to humans or domestic animals, he said. And wild animals can be infected with diseases that humans and domestic animals carry.

Durr, who raises goats and other small animals on her farm, said Pennsylvania has licensed rehabilitators across the state who care for injured wild animals. She volunteered to drive the deer to one, even if it meant driving across the whole state, but she was refused.

Kramer said game officers evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the animal should go to a rehabilitator. Certain rare animals would receive more consideration than those in large populations.

Durr said she and her husband were trying to do the right thing. They didn't want to get in trouble for harboring a wild animal, so she called the game commission looking for help.

Durr said she thinks the state law should be changed.


Why kill a healthy baby deer?

It is illegal to keep a wild deer, but if you are wanting to nurse it back to health, just don't tell the game commission.

But they could have either taken it to a rehab site or released it. They didn't have to kill it.