SALISBURY, MD - The Salisbury Zoo has welcomed a young white-tailed deer to her new home after the animal was illegally taken as a baby and confiscated by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
According to the Zoo, Rosie, a 9-month-old white-tailed deer was taken from the wild, but good Samaritans reported it to DNR. Rosie was too habituated to people for release back to the wild, according to the the Salisbury Arts, Business and Culture Department, so DNR contacted the Zoo.
The Salisbury Zoo says Rosie was quarantined for about a month in sight of the Zoo’s other white-tailed deer, Zoe, and two Nigerian dwarf goats to allow the animals to get to know each other before placing them together. Deer benefit from having a social group, according to the Zoo.
“When we found ourselves with a single deer, Zoe, she was very anxious about being by herself,” said Zookeeper Brinkley Rayne. “She was always on alert. This is why we decided to bring in the goats, so she would not be alone. She calmed down a lot.”
Though common on the Eastern Shore, white-tailed deer can only be added to the Zoo’s collection if they are from Maryland’s Eastern Shore and are deemed un-releasable. Ensuring the animals are native to the Eastern Shore avoids spreading chronic wasting disease, the Zoo says.
Zookeeper Rayne says Rosie is sweet and a bit timid, but all the animals are adjusting and the transition is going well.
