Thanks to some CHS neighbors for the picture
When the Duwamish called it Whulshootseed — crossing over — woodland creatures were commonplace. In 2023, it’s a little more special to see a doe and a yearling on Capitol Hill.
Thanks to the neighborhood tipsters for the report on the two deer seen enjoying Volunteer Park. It isn’t clear when they arrived or for how long they are going to stay but they seem healthy and happy so far. One report says deer had been recently been spotted around I-5 so the leafy park seems like a much better alternative.
Seattle Parks said it doesn’t have any issues with the visitors.
“We would only consider removing deer unless they were harming the park or park visitors, or if they seem to be sickly or suffering,” a parks department spokesperson tells CHS. “Whenever we have problem wildlife, we consult with WDFW and USDA ASPHIS who have deep knowledge and experience of how to manage problem situations.”
Any removal would involve those agencies, the parks rep said.
But don’t worry. It doesn’t seem like any intervention will be required as the Volunteer Park deer join the Capitol Hill coyotes and the Cal Anderson owls in keeping this place wild.
UPDATE: A spokesperson for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife tells CHS some area dear aren’t visitors — they live here.
“Small numbers of black-tailed deer are sporadically seen within the City of Seattle, as well as in nearby suburbs such as Shoreline, Lake City, and Renton,” the WDFW representative writes. “Within Seattle, deer are known to reside in the area of Washington Park Arboretum and Interlaken Park, and are also occasionally seen in other parks and greenbelts in both the northern and southern edges of the city.”
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I wonder if these are the same deer that were spotted on the I-5 Express Lanes at 4:30 am earlier this week?
Maybe they can chase the off-leash dogs away! 😁
in one photo, it looks like a deer may have nubby antlers. But it seems pretty rare that these city deer have antlers, and certainly not the larger sets usually seen in the wild. Does anyone know anything about this?