The Cornwall Borough Police Department in Penn. received an unexpected call on Saturday, Nov. 29, about a deer with “no fear” trespassing on a business’s property.
According to the department, “a very friendly antlerless male deer” appeared on the property of a business in West Cornwall Township, where it amazed passersby with its calm demeanor and unique appearance.
“The deer was spray-painted on both sides of his body with fluorescent orange paint [with] the word ‘PET.’ He had no fear of anyone that was around and acted like it wanted the on-scene officer to pet it,” the Cornwall Borough Police Department shared on Facebook.
The agency included two photos of the deer in its social media post. In the shots, the small deer is shown close to the photographer and police vehicles, seemingly unbothered by having people feet away. The bright-orange “PET” painted on the deer’s sides is also clearly visible in each photo.
“Mr. Deer hung around for about 45 minutes until he went on his way,” the Cornwall Borough Police Department added on Facebook, noting that the animal left on its own accord and had no reaction when a police cruiser on the scene activated its sirens.
Cornwall Borough Police Department
Deer with “PET” painted on its body
Officers did not pursue the deer, so it is unclear what happened to the animal next, but the Cornwall Borough Police Department did share a theory about the strange incident.
“State Game Warden Salsgiver came out, took a report, and advised that the most likely Mr. Deer was someone’s pet that got too big and was let loose into the wild, the ‘owner’ applied the spray paint to keep it safe from hunters,” the department shared.
According to the police, the state game warden also used the unusual opportunity to warn Pennsylvania residents that owning a pet deer is illegal in the state.
PEOPLE reached out to the Cornwall Borough Police Department for further details on the deer, but has yet to receive a response.
The department closed its social media post about the wild “pet” animal, asking anyone with information about the deer to contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission at (833) 742-4868.
Surprisingly, this isn’t the first time an incident like this has occurred. In Oct. 2023, officials in Missouri responded to several sightings of a deer with the word “pet” spray-painted on its body in the rural town of De Soto. The animal was also reportedly wearing a collar.
Locals captured photos of the deer, but officials were unable to find the animal when they responded to reports. At the time, Scott Corley of the Missouri Department of Conservation urged state residents to keep their distance from wild deer and never try to tame them.
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“We have issues with chronic wasting disease and other disease issues, so [interaction] is not safe for humans, and it’s not in the best interest of the animal’s welfare,” Corley said.
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