Two Citizens in Suwon Stabbed by Deer with Antlers, Captured with Tranquilizer Gun

Protected at Nearby Farm Until Owner Found
If Owner Does Not Appear, Proceed with Stray Animal Adoption

A deer that attacked and injured two citizens with its antlers in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, was captured four days after it appeared.

On the 9th, Yonhap News reported that a professional rescue team captured the deer around 9 a.m. near a restaurant in Hagwanggyo-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon, using a tranquilizer gun. The rescue team had been lying in wait since around 10 p.m. the previous day and successfully captured the deer upon spotting it.

Captured deer [Photo by Suwon City, Yonhap News]

The deer appeared around Gwanggyosan in Suwon on the 6th and attacked citizens. Around 1 a.m. on the 6th at Gwanggyo Lake Park in Yeongtong-gu, Mr. Choi (33) was injured in the left abdomen and right groin by the deer's antlers. After being attacked by the deer, Mr. Choi fled and, with the help of passersby, called 119 and was transported to Ajou University Hospital. In a phone interview with Yonhap News, Mr. Choi said, "There was a deer about the size of a compact car standing in the park, so I was watching it as I passed by, but suddenly it charged and hit me with its antlers," adding, "The impact threw my body several meters, and my clothes were torn." He also said, "Even after the deer attacked, it stared at me for a while, so I hurriedly ran away," and added, "I hope similar incidents do not happen again."

Later that day, around 5:22 a.m., a report was received of "a woman injured in the leg by a deer's antlers" on the walking trail near Gwanggyo Reservoir in Jangan-gu, Suwon. A passerby who witnessed the accident called 119, and a woman in her 60s, Ms. A, who injured her leg, was transported to Ajou University Hospital Trauma Center for treatment. Fortunately, it is known that her life is not in danger. When the fire department arrived, the deer had already disappeared from the scene. In addition, on an online community in the Suwon area, numerous sightings of the deer at Gwanggyo Park were posted, increasing citizens' anxiety.

In response, Suwon City formed a comprehensive situation team including police and fire officials to carry out deer capture, citizen safety measures, surveillance, and management and supervision of deer farms. Since farmed deer are not legally designated animals for management, local governments cannot capture them, but the city has been conducting deer capture operations for citizen safety. Currently, wild deer are extinct, so the deer that appeared this time is presumed to have been abandoned or lost. There is one deer farm each in Omokcheon-dong and Namsu-dong in Suwon City, one in Yongin City, and one in Uiwang City around Gwanggyo.

A city official said, "We will temporarily protect the deer at a nearby deer farm and then look for the owner," adding, "If the owner does not appear, we plan to proceed with the abandoned animal adoption process."