From the Winnipeg Free Press:
Members of a Manitoba Hutterite colony found the fawn in a ditch, its umbilical cord still attached, and brought the orphaned animal into their sanctuary. They hand-fed the deer fresh-baked bread and its favourite beverage: sweet tea. Children frolicked with their cuddly pet and the community laughed when the deer came to church one Sunday. They called him Bambi. Manitoba Conservation officers killed Bambi Saturday on a colony street while the animal’s foster families watched in horror.
“They shot him right in the front lawn and there were quite a few of us watching from the windows,” said Evie-Lynn Maendel, who lives on the Windy Bay Colony, located near Pilot Mound in southwestern Manitoba. ” I saw him fall and he was thrashing around for about a minute. It was hard to see for everyone.”
Fuck. Not okay. Sometimes things happen in life that require a more nuanced solution that idiotic adherence to normally good rules and policy designed to protect both the public and animals. Maybe Manitoba’s government should bring in legislation to make it easier for people in rural areas to give sanctuary to orphaned wildlife.
Of course that’s probably an overreaction too. the best solution would’ve been to offer some support to a community that did a good, Christian thing for an animal.
This is a catastrophic failure of decency, humanity and wisdom. It’s also a profound example of laziness. And cowardice.
Do better, humans.
