Vancouver Island MLA gored by deer while rescuing his dog
You’ve heard of “grabbing a bull by the horns,” but for a Vancouver Island MLA last week, it was more “grabbing a deer by the antlers.”
Adam Walker, the NDP MLA for Parksville-Qualicum, has been recovering after a run-in with a buck that was attacking his dog last Thursday.
He says he was pulling into his driveway at his home near Qualicum Beach when he noticed a scuffle between the antlered animal and his dog, Pluto.
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“I jumped out of my car and wrestled this deer off of my dog only to find that the deer was still looking to play,” he told CityNews on Tuesday.
Just wanted to extend a massive thank you to Dr Cooper, the nurses, and all the other staff at the Oceanside Health Centre – y'all are simply fantastic! My day took an unexpected turn when I came home to find a deer attacking my dog… pic.twitter.com/bh86xts5I0
— Adam Walker (@AdamWalkerBC) September 8, 2023
Walker says he battled the animal for 20 minutes after prying it off of his dog.
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“I got away a couple of times only to find that it would charge me, and it actually managed to puncture my leg,” he said.
“When you’re holding onto these antlers, you don’t really know what to do.”
Eventually, the MLA says a neighbour came by to help scare the deer off. He says conservation officers came to “poke around” his property to look for the buck, to no avail.
“We’ve got so many deer around here, it’s probably off in the woods having a good time and I’m sure we’ll see it again in the vegetable garden next spring,” he said.
Walker says he suffered some puncture wounds to his leg after the attack. Pluto, meantime, was also jabbed by the deer’s antlers. Both are expected to recover.
