WATERFORD (WWJ) - A Waterford resident who first noticed a deer in distress in his backyard on April 27 hasn't given up on helping the animal who hasn't been able to eat or graze because of a piece of trash fixed firmly over its nose and mouth.
Scott Sisk of Waterford said to WWJ Newsradio 950's Cassandra Llamas-Fossen that he spent the better part of the weekend searching for the doe with a can stuck on its snout.
"Unfortunately we've not seen her in about four days now," Sisk said in Tuesday update. "I have a small group getting together later today to go searching for her."
"We're in no way giving up on her," Sisk said.
Sisk first saw the doe almost two weeks ago while a group of deer wandered near his residence in Oakland County.
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Sisk said an outdoor security camera captured footage of the doe hanging back from the others with something odd on its face.
"I went to the kitchen window to look out and I am like, 'oh no,'" Sisk said to WWJ's Cassandra Llamas-Fossen in an interview on Friday. "I saw the can stuck on her face, so I took a photo of her and just been keeping an eye on her ever since trying to get her some help."
Sisk said the doe is able to scoop water up into the can and tilt her head back to drink, but the piece of trash prevents her from being able to eat.
The Waterford resident has observed the deer getting slower and weaker; he worries how much longer the doe will be able to make it without eating.
"It is so sad," Sisk said. "She just stands off to the side and just watches the other deer eat and it's so heartbreaking, it just tears at your heart. We look at her in the binoculars and you just see sadness, you can see it just coming over her in her eyes."
According to Sisk, the deer has tried to wiggle the can free of her nose, but so far there's been no success.
On Friday, Sisk said he was out with a group of people until dusk searching for the animal. On Saturday he renewed his search efforts and drove around trying to find the deer.
"We'll take all the support we can get, but we've got to find her," Sisk said.
Sisk said Oakland County Animal Control did not offer to help the troubled doe and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said they would only come out to euthanize the deer when "it was time."
"We're like, 'no that's not an option', we've got to figure out something else."
Sisk said the DNR then got in touch before the weekend and said they had gotten approval to tranquilize the deer in order to get the can off of its nose; a conservation officer was supposed to come out, but as of 5 p.m. Friday, Sisk was told by the DNR that the officer was busy.
The DNR released a statement via Fox 2, stating wildlife can be unpredictable when humans get too close and can potentially cause injury to people and further harm the animal; it was not recommended people approach the deer.
"Currently, the best course of action is to provide the deer with the opportunity to dislodge the can on its own while moving through nearby thick brush and wooded areas," officials said. "The DNR will continue to work with the property owner to monitor the situation and determine the best course of action."
Sisk said he will continue to search for the deer and hopes to free her from the can.
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