A herd of exotic deer escaped from a Michigan zoo after a fence was intentionally sabotaged, say officials.
The hole in the fence allowed 13 fallow deer to escape the Indian Creek Zoo – a private zoo in Bedford Township – was spotted on Tuesday morning.
Now the owner Joe Garvercik is concerned about the animal’s welfare in light of what he felt was a targeted vandalism act, reported WXYZ.
One stray deer found its way back to the zoo on Tuesday afternoon, and five more reportedly returned overnight, said the zoo, as per UPI News.
A frantic search continues for the remaining seven who escaped overnight.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation into the fence-cutting culprit remains open.
“At this time it appears a hole was intentionally cut in a fence allowing as many as 13 deer to escape the property,” MCSO told The Independent.
Garvercik says he has now been forced to close his zoo for the season in light of the incident.
"Somebody physically cut it. Don’t know who did it but somebody did,” he told WXYZ.
"It’s pretty sad, you know, that people would do this. And what’s so crazy, we know because it’s a high tensile deer fence. You can’t even hardly cut it”, he added.
Two years before the sabotage, Indian Creek Zoo received a fine after PETA called for an animal welfare investigation.
The United States Department of Agriculture fined the zoo $13,500 in September 2022 after it was found guilty of not maintaining safe enclosures, preventing the spread of disease, and not communicating medical issues to the attending vet.
The Independent contacted Indian Creek Zoo and PETA for comment.
