Deer attacking people on campus – again

CARBONDALE, Ill. – A year after the normally docile creatures attacked seven people on a university campus here, the deer have turned bullish again.

Three people were attacked by deer within minutes of each other Tuesday on a footpath at Southern Illinois University, police said Wednesday. One doe probably was responsible for all three attacks, said Todd Sigler, the school’s public safety chief.

One worker needed stitches for a gash on his forehead, another suffered cuts, bruises and a sprained wrist, and a student was left with a scratched jaw.

This week’s incidents came earlier in fawning season than last year’s attacks, which officials attributed to a combination of protective instinct, squeezed habitat and, in some cases, people trying to approach fawns.

“It’s bothersome,” Sigler said. “We certainly appreciate the deer, and we don’t want to get rid of them. At the same time, we don’t want people getting injured. It’s a difficult situation.”

SIU officials last week launched a public-awareness campaign to implore anyone on the 20,000-student campus to watch out for deer, to not approach the animals and, if a wild-eyed deer starts bounding their way, run.