Who wore it better? After Hammy, new accessorized deer spotted in Prince Rupert
Buck appears to have green netting stuck on antler, reminiscent of Hammy's purple hammock
The year after a Prince Rupert, B.C., deer made international headlines for being spotted with a shock of purple hammock on its head, another buck seems to be following suit with a new colour for 2018: a piece of green netting.
In 2017, a deer dubbed "Hammy" inspired t-shirts, Christmas decorations and a strong online following as fans snapped photos of it walking around the streets of Prince Rupert, on B.C.'s North Coast. The deer's celebrity status made headlines in outlets ranging from Reuters to BBC before it was eventually caught and the hammock removed.
Now, wildlife fans are keeping their eyes open for a new deer with a new accessory first reported by Prince Rupert resident Elaine Hupman,
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A deer with a hammock on his head is Prince Rupert's newest celebrity
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Hammy, the deer with a purple hammock on his head, is evading conservation officers
Hupman saw the buck with what appears to be a piece of green netting in its antler from her bathroom window on May 28.
"I'm like, 'Oh no, this is Hammy all over again,'" she said.
Hupman said although the netting, which she thinks might come from a local fisherman, doesn't appear to be obstructing the deer's vision, she did see it step on it a couple of times, prompting her to call conservation officers.
Officials hope net will fall off naturally
Sgt. Tracy Walbauer of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service in Terrace, said given that the deer's antlers appear to still be developing, there's a good chance the netting will fall off by itself.
"We don't want to intervene unless we have to because, dealing with wildlife, it's never predictable how it will turn out," he said.
Walbauer encouraged members of the public who spot the deer or any other wildlife they have concerns about to call the service's hotline at 1-877-952-7277.
In the meantime, listeners to CBC Daybreak North in northern British Columbia are coming up with possible nicknames for the new deer including "Hampton," "Sweet Pea" and "Nettie."
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