Article from Reason by Joe Setyon.

A Pennsylvania man’s unsuccessful efforts to nurse an injured deer back to health have drawn the ire of the state’s game commission, who might fine him for daring to transport the animal to his home.

The story started Saturday at Gifford Pinchot State Park in Warrington Township, where five deer had fallen through an icy lake. For hours, John Stoll Jr. aided park officials, fire department personnel, and Pennsylvania Game Commission officers in the rescue effort. Three of the deer survived (one made it to safety on its own), and a fourth drowned.

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What had Stoll done wrong? Speaking to the Dispatch, Lau explains that “all wildlife in Pennsylvania is protected—no one owns it.” Speaking to Reason, he adds: “When any wildlife is rehabilitated, it’s required to be done through a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Your average Joe can’t just take in an animal and rehabilitate it.”

Stoll acknowledges the law. But he believes he still did the right thing. “In the long run, I just feel like we gave the guy a chance,” he tells Reason. The deer likely wouldn’t have survived out in the cold, but “at least I gave him a chance.”

Read the entire article at Reason.

Image Credit: By Cellofellow (Gadsden_flag.svg) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons