A 64-year-old rehabilitator of wild deer has died after being attacked by one of the animals she kept on her property in Stewartsville, Belmont County, Ohio. According to the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office the incident occurred on Saturday evening, November 15, when deputies responded at approximately 10:27 pm to a report of an animal attack at the home of Jodi Proger.
Family members told investigators that Proger had become trapped inside an enclosure with a male deer that she was attempting to rehabilitate, and that the animal appeared to have turned aggressive. “Family members attempted to intervene and dispatch the animal prior to the arrival of law enforcement to reach the victim; however, the animal was ultimately dispatched by responding deputies to ensure scene safety,” said Sheriff James Zusack in a statement.
At the scene, deputies say they found Proger already fatally injured and she was pronounced dead there. One of the deer was shot by officers to gain access to the enclosure.
Proger had for around 12 years been involved in rescuing and rehabilitating whitetail deer and other wildlife on her five-acre property in and around Stewartsville. Her work began when, in 2013, she discovered an injured fawn whose mother had been killed by a vehicle; she rescued the young deer and named him “Wheezer”.