Police forced to use knife to euthanize deer in widely spread video
By JEREMY APPEL on September 14, 2019.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel Police are responding to a video circulating on social media of two officers euthanizing an injured deer with a knife. Medicine Hat Police Service chief Andy McGrogan told the News there’s nothing the officers could have done differently. “The officers were put in a position they really didn’t want to be in. They would have used a firearm if they could have if they thought it was safe,” said McGrogan. According to an MHPS news release, Alberta Wish and Wildlife called the officers to the 500 block of Third Avenue NW at 9:47 a.m. Friday, after receiving a call from a member of the public about a wounded deer. Fish and Wildlife didn’t have officers available to attend the scene themselves at the time. When police arrived, they found a young deer with “extensive injuries, believed to be the result of a vehicle collision,” the release says. One of the animal’s legs was severed, while two others were “severely fractured.” Due to the extent of the injuries, the cops determined the deer was “mortally wounded” and decided to euthanize it as the most humane course of action. Because the deer was located in a residential area, the officers decided it would be inappropriate to use a gun, so they opted to slit its throat as “the safest way to end the animal’s suffering,” according to the news release. “As you can imagine, our officers didn’t take any pleasure in having to use a knife, but they did what’s recommended to do if you can’t use a firearm,” McGrogan said. He says patrol officers were provided with a training video from Fish and Wildlife about the safest ways to euthanize animals in response to an incident in Lethbridge earlier this year, where an officer repeatedly ran over an injured deer with their vehicle. McGrogan says they were taught that the second-least painful way to kill an animal is to slit its throat. A veterinarian also advised police Friday that using a knife was the most appropriate course of action, the chief said. “It’s an unfortunate situation,” McGrogan said. “We care about the welfare of the animal. We care about the perception of the community. And I also care about our two officers who had to do what they had to do.” Denis Bagaric captured the video of the incident before circulating it on social media. He said he saw a clearly-injured deer crossing the street, so he turned his vehicle around and got out to see what was happening. As the video shows, the officers euthanized the deer between two houses. As Bagaric approached the bloody scene, they informed him that he was trespassing on private property. He said he thinks the officers should have taken the animal out to an empty field and killed it there. “They could have done it anywhere,” said Bagaric. “There were families who were looking out the window. That was uncalled for. There are kids who aren’t going to sleep tonight.” Before killing the animal, the officers attempted to contact neighbours to let them know what was happening and put a barrier in place – a small piece of plywood – to prevent the public from seeing the disturbing act. “They used what was available at the time. They didn’t expect anyone to come in and trespass on somebody else’s property,” McGrogan said, referring to Bagaric’s video. After the officers confirmed the deer was deceased, they disposed of the remains and cleaned the blood from the area, they “reached out to neighbours to inform them of what had occurred in an effort to avoid further trauma,” according to the news release. Counselling will be made available to the officers involved in the potentially-traumatizing incident, McGrogan said. 25-24
