spectr17
06-24-2003, 10:10 PM
Deer sees itself, attacks store
TOM ALEX, Des Moinse Register
6/23/2003
A deer that charged its own reflection in a plate glass window caused upward of $40,000 in damage when it crashed into a Des Moines eyeglass store Sunday.
The deer destroyed high-tech examination equipment in the mishap at Whylie Eye Care Center, 3725 Ingersoll Ave.
"It was a total mess," said Frank Rains, the city's animal control field supervisor. "It jumped into the racks that hold the eyeglasses. It rammed every mirror and window in the place. It just destroyed the examination room."
Rains found the deer ramming its head against a mirror inside the store Sunday morning. When the animal turned to flee, Rains fired the first of two tranquilizer darts.
"It was too badly injured to release so we had to euthanize it," Rains said.
Kenton Copple, one of the store's owners, estimated damage at between $40,000 and $50,000.
"Some of the equipment in the examination room is very expensive," Copple said.
He said the store was closed when the deer crashed in.
Whylie's chief executive, Lois Copple, said a cleaning crew would have the store ready for business today.
"It looked like a murder scene," she said.
The number of deer in the state is growing.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will issue a record number of hunting licenses for antlerless deer this fall. Aerial head counts, data from the last hunting season, and roadkill all indicate a statewide herd that is up to 15 percent larger than desirable, officials said.
TOM ALEX, Des Moinse Register
6/23/2003
A deer that charged its own reflection in a plate glass window caused upward of $40,000 in damage when it crashed into a Des Moines eyeglass store Sunday.
The deer destroyed high-tech examination equipment in the mishap at Whylie Eye Care Center, 3725 Ingersoll Ave.
"It was a total mess," said Frank Rains, the city's animal control field supervisor. "It jumped into the racks that hold the eyeglasses. It rammed every mirror and window in the place. It just destroyed the examination room."
Rains found the deer ramming its head against a mirror inside the store Sunday morning. When the animal turned to flee, Rains fired the first of two tranquilizer darts.
"It was too badly injured to release so we had to euthanize it," Rains said.
Kenton Copple, one of the store's owners, estimated damage at between $40,000 and $50,000.
"Some of the equipment in the examination room is very expensive," Copple said.
He said the store was closed when the deer crashed in.
Whylie's chief executive, Lois Copple, said a cleaning crew would have the store ready for business today.
"It looked like a murder scene," she said.
The number of deer in the state is growing.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will issue a record number of hunting licenses for antlerless deer this fall. Aerial head counts, data from the last hunting season, and roadkill all indicate a statewide herd that is up to 15 percent larger than desirable, officials said.