Vancouver's 'Downtown Deer' confirmed dead

Monday, September 14, 2015, 8:21 PM - Earlier this summer, a friendly deer became a social media sensation after it was spotted walking around downtown Vancouver. The deer later took up residence in Stanley Park but was accustomed to people, sparking fears it would one day walk into a busy part of the city and be hit by a car.

A Twitter account inspired by the deer helped propel the small fawn to fame while prompting hoards of tourists to visit Stanley Park in hopes of capturing a photo with the deer.

On Monday, city officials confirmed the deer has died.

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Police officers were called to the Vancouver end of the Lions Gate Bridge around 7:30 p.m. PT Sunday when a deer was struck and killed by a car. Two cars were damaged in the incident.

Authorities have turned the matter over to animal control.

“The deer had become habituated to people feeding and petting it. I want to emphasize how important it is for people to maintain an appropriate distance from wildlife such as deer, raccoons and coyotes. Contact with people can cause animals to become dependent and aggressive towards humans,” said Vancouver Park Board Biologist Nick Page in a statement on the City's website.

City officials say the deer could not be released into the wild because it was habituated.

"The deer would have either become a problem somewhere else or died due to being unable to fend for itself. Finding sanctuaries willing to receive animals in these circumstances is a challenge. Once again, we remind people that this is exactly the kind of tragedy that often occurs when wildlife become habituated to humans. Please do not touch, feed or take in orphaned fawns or other wildlife."

Sources: CBC | City of Vancouver