There was a hit and run near my home recently. A young healthy deer’s leg was broken. My mail lady discovered him at 1 p.m. The deer was alive and struggling but was too injured to get up. I called the non-emergency police number for help, and was informed that they would call the game wardens, who in turn would call me. My compassionate mail lady stayed with the deer to try to calm it to no avail. After 20 minutes, I called game warden dispatch and was told that the warden was in the woods and would call when he returned to his truck. He would not come to my address without talking to me on the phone first.
I am a bus driver and I cannot answer the phone on the job. After more than an hour passing since the hit, I asked if I could have the deer put down to end the suffering while we wait. The answer was no.
I was stuck. I couldn’t help the injured animal, and I couldn’t take the call to get the warden to come help. State law to prohibit poaching is leaving a suffering animal lying in a ditch for more than three hours. I’m calling for an amendment to protect our wildlife.
Emily Webber
Mount Vernon
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