Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/deer-found-with-arrow-in-head-survives/

There is a deer in Kenora, Canada that is well-known to the local townspeople. The friendly deer has even been given the name of Carrot as he would often come around and interact with the local people. He would sometimes be seen with another buck named Potato. One of the Ontario residents, Lee-Anne Carver, had named some of the local deer who were known to be friendly with the Kenora neighbors. Carrot was known for making visits to the area for about three years.

Both Lee-Anne and her husband had gotten well-acquainted with Carrot, so it was quite a shock to see the deer show up with an arrow through his head.

Lee-Anne’s husband was on the verge of tears when he saw Carrot’s injury. It was clear that Carrot had been shot by a hunter, but he miraculously managed to survive.

The arrow had become lodged in between his antlers and was poking out the back of his head. The angle in which the arrow had been shot gave Lee-Anne’s husband pause to think that perhaps the poor deer had been shot by someone hanging out on a deck or from a window within the residential area.

Lee-Anne, who is also a wildlife photographer, explained to CBC that when her husband came in to tell her about Carrot, she could hardly make out what he was saying as he was quite upset. She went out to get a better look at what he was talking about, but the scene that greeted her was absolutely horrifying. She explained, “My understanding from the hunters who have been writing me, it’s a carbon arrow, a lethal arrow for hunting. It would come out of a crossbow.”

Lee-Anne was initially concerned about how things would pan out for Carrot, however, she was happy to provide an update saying that the arrow had been successfully removed. The medical assistance for Carrot came from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, who removed the arrow as well as administered antibiotics to Carrot. His recovery was rather quick as he was back in action within a few hours of having the arrow removed. Of course, he was a little bit unsteady at first since he was under the influence of the drugs given to him.

But Lee-Anne shared that the sweet little deer seemed to remember who she was as he licked her hands as he was coming around.

So it seems that he’s grateful to the Carvers for getting him the help that he needed following his awful ordeal.

Lee-Anne shared that in both the City of Kenora and the City of Thunder Bay it’s legal for people to use crossbows. However, she still feels that whoever shot Carrot did so in an “act of animal cruelty” – and she’s not alone in that sentiment. After she posted about Carrot’s story online, many people around the world shared their support and disgust.

Lee-Anne will be closely monitoring Carrot as he recovers. You can follow along on his progress on his Facebook page.

His story does raise an important question: why can’t people just be nice to animals? Feel better soon Carrot!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog