A Pennsylvania man is offering a $1,500 reward in the case of a rare, mostly white piebald deer that somebody killed on a park trail near his home.
James Warner, former CEO of the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority, lives with his wife in a home surrounded by the Farmingdale Trail, which is owned by the agency and used as a public park.
Warner, who put up the reward tis week, told Lancaster Online: “We just watched him, from a little guy, develop into this beautiful 3-year-old. He would come here with the other bucks. He would drink out of our pond and he was a frequent visitor in our yard.”
The carcass of the deer, whose coat was mostly white because of a genetic condition, was discovered on a park side trail on Oct. 10. Hunting is banned in the 75-acre park and the case is under investigation by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
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Travis Lau, spokesman for the commission, told Lancaster Online that the deer appeared to have been shot. Also, it appeared as though somebody had tried to remove the buck’s antlers.
Some locals referred to the deer as a spirit animal.
Lancaster County Judge David Ashworth, who lives near the park, told Lancaster Online that he regarded the deer as a “neighborhood mascot” and described its killing as “a tragedy.”
Said Warner: “It’s just unconscionable that somebody would shoot that deer on a public trail that is used frequently. So I have a big problem with not only the shooting of a beautiful deer but putting the public in danger.”
On Tuesday the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority posted a statement via social media. It reads, in part:
“LCSWMA is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of the Piebald Deer at Farmingdale. Many local trail enthusiasts and neighbors who have witnessed this beautiful and rare animal are also mourning its loss.
“As the game commission investigates, LCSWMA would like to remind everyone that hunting is NOT permitted on any parts of the property, and we are actively working to keep the trail safe for all who use it, including the wildlife.”