A deer with a hammock tangled in its antlers has been spotted near Prospect Park and East McClellan Avenue in Livingston, and police want residents to report any sightings.
The Livingston Police Department posted on Facebook that the department is aware of the deer and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services division plans to begin tracking the animal in an attempt to help it. Residents who spot the deer should call USDA Wildlife Services at (908) 735-4513.
Freeing an entangled deer is not simple. In Midland Park in September, a buck was spotted with a pole and red netting wrapped around one of its antlers, ABC 7 reported. Animal control there said it could not respond unless the deer could be contained in one area. The deer did not stay in one location for long, making intervention difficult.
Sighting reports proved key in that case. Midland Park police were updating the state game warden's office so officials could establish a pattern and track the animal before responding. Whether the entanglement was affecting the Midland Park deer's ability to feed or rest was unclear, ABC 7 reported.
That pattern suggests why Livingston police are asking residents to call in sightings rather than approach the deer themselves.
The situation coincides with fall deer mating season, when the animals are more active and more visible in suburban neighborhoods.
Anyone who sees the deer near Prospect Park or East McClellan Avenue should not approach it. Call USDA Wildlife Services at (908) 735-4513.
