MENTOR-ON-THE-LAKE, Ohio - An Ohio woman barely escaped serious injury after a deer went on the attack.
Cindy Frost first noticed the doe and her baby fawn on her Salida Road property about two weeks ago.
Since then she says, she has tried to steer clear of the animals, but the mama deer won’t leave Cindy alone.
“I feel like I’m a prisoner,” said Cindy, “I can’t take my dogs out for a walk; I can’t even walk down to the end of my property and when I go to my car I’m looking all around.”
Her fears are justified. The same deer stomped and injured her neighbor's Golden Retriever last year.
Now she keeps charging after Cindy.
The interactions are becoming so frequent that Fox 8 News reporter Suzanne Stratford and videographer Doug Herrmann caught the deer staring down Cindy Wednesday night. That’s nothing compared to the unprovoked incident last Thursday.
While Cindy was taking her dogs out to use the bathroom the deer became extremely aggressive, reared up and then ran after her.
She did everything you’re supposed to do in such a situation. Since deer can’t turn sharp corners she put a car between them and ran back and forth. She also tried zigzagging but the doe kept charging.
“She came right after me,” said Cindy, “What saved me was my blacktop. She couldn’t get her grip, that’s the only thing that saved me.”
Cindy fell during the altercation and suffered minor injuries including bruised ribs. Local police and experts with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife told her that does can become aggressive near their fawns but rarely attack.
She says they told her the deer should move on in a couple of weeks, but if the animal's behavior continues both mom and baby might have to be euthanized.
“I don’t want that; I’m an animal lover,” said Cindy.
However she is warning people to be careful around deer.
Cindy says she learned the hard way that even if you’re hundreds of yards away from the fawn, the doe might still feel threatened and attack.
