According to a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), a 56-year-old man from Franktown, Colorado was gored by a deer suspected to be hand-raised by people earlier this week.

At about 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday evening, a Franktown couple noticed what appeared to be a “friendly deer” fitted with a fluorescent orange dog collar standing on the opposite side of their fence. When the wife approached the buck, it responded aggressively, breaking through the fence line and pinning the woman into the barb-wire fence. The husband who immediately intervened in an attempt to save his wife was charged by the buck, which knocked the man to the ground and drug him around the yard with its antlers.

The wife ran inside to call 911, also grabbing a pellet gun and firing shots towards the buck. The deer was distracted long enough for the man to escape. He was treated at a nearby hospital for wounds to his lower body.

The deer is believed to be around two years old and domesticated. Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officer Casey Westbrook stated, “every indication we see points to this deer being raised by people, one from its collar and two from its behavior. We suspect somebody was raising it and released it after they couldn’t handle it anymore.”

CPW also received a second report that same evening just minutes down the road from where the attack occurred. The report indicated that a 10-year-old boy was chased by the same deer near Tomichi Drive and Caribou Drive before a vehicle reportedly pulled over to stop the attack.

Wild animals are not pets. It is illegal to own or possess wildlife in Colorado. Anyone who has any information regarding the raising or attempting to domesticate wildlife is asked to contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife at 303-291-7227. Reportings can also be made anonymously by contacting Operation Game Thief at 1-877-265-6648 or [email protected].