WASHINGTON, DC – A wild deer was attacked after jumping into a lion enclosure!
The young female deer jumped into the lion area on Sunday. It landed in the moat, but was attacked by two lions after it swam ashore!
Onlookers began rooting the deer on as it fought to get free. “Everyone was cheering, ‘Go, go, go’ ” to encourage the deer, witness Josh Shpayher said. “Everyone was rooting for the deer.”
It eventually escaped back to the water, where it waited while zookeepers took the lions out.
Check out its miraculous escape below:
Sadly, the deer had suffered a fatal stomach wound and staff were forced to euthanize it.
WWN Shop
November 10th, 2009 at 4:51 am
the zoo should have closed the lion exhibit and let the lions finish the deed, we should not interfere with nature, since we have encroached on one of natures greatest cats, sadly, I'll even say that if a wild deer can get into a lion enclosure, whats makes you all think that those cats don't know how to get out?
November 10th, 2009 at 11:32 am
Euthanize hell, that was lunch for the Kitty !!! I bet they would take 'Bat Boy's' lunch too.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Come on, let the lions have their fun. That was probably the most excitement they've had their entire lives. What a waste of venison.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:11 am
OH DEER!!!
November 14th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Deer are already dumber than stumps (watch one in your headlights if you don't believe me). This one was dumb enough to leap into an enclosure full of very large carnavores, thus proving it's retarded (even for a deer) status. Putting it back into the gene pool was no favor for either deer or lions…
November 14th, 2009 at 10:36 am
what the heck, the lions deserved that deer, noone gets into the king of the jungle's territory and gets out that easy! plus they killed the damn deer anyway!
November 14th, 2009 at 10:59 am
I can,t believe these posted comments,It is scary to believe that there are so many people out there with so little compassion! I wonder If let kitty play would be so non-chalant If we dropped him in the enclosure! TGP
November 14th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
well well that sound very interesting because it look like my self trying to escape from evil but the evil that escape was others human like you and i but as long you have GOD you always win.
November 14th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
The lion seems to want to play with the deer; they are obviously well fed and not into killing the deer for survival. It seems to have taken the zoo keepers a long time to address the situation and save the deer. Deers have less habitat of their own to live/survive in more and more. They have rights, too. That must have been a very high jump for a "fawn."
November 14th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
The lions are obviously well fed; it seemed as if the one I saw was mostly wanting to play. The deers have less habitat to live in and survive in more and more. They have rights, too.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I agree it was a waste of venison… but they were probably thinking about the general public. There would have been an outcry that those lions slaughtered that poor deer… not to mention people that might want to sue the zoo for the emotional duress their children experienced. Who knows…. maybe they saved the deer to feed to the lions later, and having captive cats learn how to hunt and kill might not be a good thing. If the deer can get in… the cats can probably get out… for the time being it doesn't appear that the lioness knows how to finish the deed.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Bartle Doo
November 14th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Seriously, if that lion had really wanted the deer, it wouldn't have gotten away. Much like a domestic cat that is fed daily, the lion would only have toyed with it. It might not even have eaten afterwards…that would have been unnecessary and cruel.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
I cannot believe how stupid these people are, rooting for the deer to get away. People can't deal with reality, it seems.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Thats how they should feed the lions in the first place. I think that a zoo is the equivalent of a prison for animals. It is cruel to cage a wild animal just to satisfy human entertainment. They were born to hunt. Hell, it's better for the deer than running out in front of someones car. At least nature is balanced in this way.
November 14th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I can suck my own cock!
November 14th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
What ashame those spectators did'nt jump in to help, and become part of the cycle of life.
November 14th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
let the lions have a natural meal,for once in their poor life let them think they're real lions.you keep them locked up like a criminal for your amusement, then you deprive them of the one time they would feel alive.
November 14th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
The poor lion didnt even know what to do with the deer when she had it! That is the true sadness!
November 14th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I agree – the lions should have been allowed a hunt for once in their lives. Obviously the fatal wound makes this even more logical, but there was no way to know about that. I think lions living in zoos should be allowed to hunt game, even if the public can only stomach the idea of rats or possums or whatever pest was readily available. Besides being important for control of bordom for the cats, it would also control the costs of meat to the zoo. I don't think we should be so squeamish if we're going to cage wild predators.
November 14th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
They don't want the cats to be rewarded for attacking another animal. They are only supposed to feed on what the handlers want them to feed on.
November 14th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
oh sure…this is exactly what we need to be doing..saving a stupid ass deer, a female no less
who can now run free and create more of them..since this animal hardly has a predator anymore their population is OUT OF CONTROL..these herds cost this country 3.5 billion dollars a year in medical costs(lyme disease), auto insurance, deaths related to car accidents and new tree growth because they eat all the saplings. more people die each year in auto/deer crashes than death caused by the flu. they should have let the lion king devour bambi, it's called death by natural cause!
November 14th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
oh sure…this is exactly what we need to be doing..saving a stupid ass deer, a female no less__who can now run free and create more of them..since this animal hardly has a predator anymore their population is OUT OF CONTROL..these herds cost this country 3.5 billion dollars a year in medical costs(lyme disease), auto insurance, deaths related to car accidents and new tree growth because they eat all the saplings. more people die each year in auto/deer crashes than death caused by the flu. they should have let the lion king devour bambi, it's called death by natural cause!
November 14th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
these lions should be set free in the jungle. Lions are not good animals.
November 14th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
The lion was only playing with the deer! If it really wanted to eat it then it would have been way more aggressive whilst it had the deer in it's paws. Lions use their teeth to grab onto prey. This lion was treating the deer like a stuffed toy plaything.
The deer did not appear injured so I see no reason why it had to be euthanized.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
That is so sad. I'm happy the deer wasn't eaten. Screw everyone who is rooting for the lions.
November 15th, 2009 at 12:11 am
I agree wtih everyone else here: the lions were doing what the lions do…capture and eat the prey. Sad waste of the deer, in my opinion. Too many people like the Walt Disney approach to nature where no one eats any one else and no animal poops. A great learning lesson wasted.
November 15th, 2009 at 3:11 am
lee c makes a good point
remember that guy that taunted the tiger at the sf zoo? and then the tiger jumped out of the cage and followed him into a zoo restaurant and nearly bit his head off…..
November 15th, 2009 at 6:59 am
I hate to admit it but you are absolutely right. Let nature take its course. The deer did what it was set up to do by nature and the lionesses did what they were set up to do by nature, eat it, baby deer or not, it's food for the lions and humans.
November 15th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Ummm…ya think maybe the 14 foot walls and gravity might make it harder to get out than in?