A 64-year-old grandmother who spent 12 years caring for injured deer has been mauled to death by a buck on her property in Ohio. Jodi Proger was found dead inside a deer enclosure after being attacked by the animal, which police were forced to shoot to reach her.
Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack said family members tried to kill the deer before officers arrived, but deputies ultimately dispatched it to ensure safety. Proger was pronounced dead at the scene from injuries that were not detailed.
Proger had a long history of rescuing deer, including a fawn she saved in 2013 after its mother was hit by a car. She raised the deer, named Wheezer, who became a beloved pet. However, her daughter Jennifer Bryan confirmed that Wheezer was not the attacker, as he had been neutered per state requirements.
Bryan said her mother was alone at the time of the attack because her husband was in hospital. When the family couldn't reach her, Bryan's husband searched the property and found the deer loose. He struggled to lock it up and was told to shoot it if necessary, but by then Proger had already been killed.
“I then had to call and talk to my stepdad... and tell him his wife was gone,” Bryan wrote on social media, describing the heartache of the incident.
