NC deer attacks prompt wildlife officials to warn against keeping them as pets

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Wildlife officials are urging North Carolina residents not to keep deer as pets, citing a series of attacks in recent months on people who attempted to tame the animals.

Deer attacks were reported in Iredell, Cherokee, Onslow, Rockingham, Randolph, and Wilkes counties over the past year.

In Iredell County, a deer being fed by residents killed a dog. In Wilkes County, a 70-year-old woman was gored by a deer's antlers and required hospitalization on Nov. 6. In Onslow County, a woman suffered a puncture wound to her shoulder and neck from a deer in October. In Cherokee County, a deer attacked a man, causing a laceration to his lip.

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) affirmed that it is illegal to hold wild animals in captivity, including deer. W