Popular Deer Dies of Natural Causes

Grand Teton National Park rangers, with assistance from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, conducted an investigation into the recent death of a popular buck mule deer. The mule deer died as a result of physical injuries sometime last Tuesday along the Gros Ventre River near the park’s southern boundary.  Park Spokesperson Jackie Skaggs says the investigation seems to indicate those injuries resulted from natural causes. Skaggs says biologists don’t know exactly when the injury took place, but the deer had suffered a broken bone in its lower leg.  It had been able to get by for a period of time until an infection developed in the vicinity of the injury which created problems preventing it from easily getting around leading it to finally bed down and it was found dead Tuesday, January the eighth. While the natural death of an animal inside of a national park can be expected, this individual deer wore an atypical set of antlers that brought particular attention and admiration from visitors and local residents alike, and therefore prompted this announcement about the circumstances of its death.  Grand Teton National Park rangers say they will consider preserving its head and antlers for appropriate educational display.