SAN DIMAS : 2 Deer at Nature Center Recovering From Dog Attack

Two deer are recuperating from a vicious attack by two German shepherds that were let into their pen by an intruder at San Dimas Canyon Nature Center, county parks and recreation officials said Thursday.

Bambi, a 5-year-old buck, and Unan, a 3-year-old doe, underwent a total of 12 hours of surgery by a volunteer veterinarian who closed their wounds with more than 50 stitches. Both deer suffered deep cuts and gouges from the Saturday night mauling but are able to walk, said volunteer Doug Doepke. The animals apparently suffered no permanent injuries.

Meanwhile, volunteers are struggling to understand the motive for such a deliberate mauling, Doepke said. There are no suspects. “It’s Bambi, for heaven’s sake,” Doepke said. “They’re sweet-tempered deer.”

The attack occurred when someone let the two dogs into the deer pen, apparently through a gap in the chain-link fence. A volunteer heard the commotion and arrived to see the intruder escaping with the dogs.

Since the attack, volunteers have patched up the fence and increased security patrols, Doepke said. The nature center houses more than two dozen animals, including great horned owls and desert tortoises.