Animal lover nursed orphaned baby deer back to health...then Louisiana wildlife officials turned up and EUTHANIZED it
Kimberly Graham, 63, of Greenburg, near Baton Rouge, rescued an injured fawn her granddaughter named BabyBelle after receiving an urgent call on July 27, she revealed in a Facebook post.
She gave the small white-tailed animal fluids and bottle-fed it after it had been wandering around injured for two days.
Four days into her caring for the fawn, the Louisiana Department Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) showed up after receiving a tip from someone who reportedly spotted the deer wearing a 'hunter's orange collar' around its neck.
They stated that Graham was running an illegal deer rehabilitation center at her home, according to the report, which was viewed by WBRZ.
After packing the baby deer up in a cat carrier, officials allegedly euthanized BabyBelle just 20 minutes later.
'He just outright said: "The deer was euthanized 20 minutes after leaving your house,"' she told the outlet.
'They allowed me to glove my hands, feed her a bottle and potty her before putting her in a cat kennel to take her off.'
Graham had been hopeful the fawn would survive and be released back into the wild, as BabyBelle had made significant strides in just the four days in her care.
'In a moment of crisis, I did what I was trained to do and save a helpless, tiny life. I fought hard for her, administering drugs I use on my horses. My fight wasn't enough and she was destroyed by gunfire,' she claimed on Facebook.
She called the incident 'incredibly cruel.'
LDWF denied shooting the animal, but did not publicly release its method of euthanasia for BabyBelle.
The LDWF report did say the animal was euthanized because she had spent too much time in captivity away from her mother and would be unable to survive on her own.
State Representative Lauren Ventrella, who is also an attorney, is now representing Graham and they are hoping to reach an amicable resolution.
They are calling for an oversight hearing to help change the process at a legislative level.
'You have to look at the humanity of the situation of what is right and what is just,' Ventrella said.
'We know what the law says, but we have to utilize some common sense and what is best for the people.'
LDWF, however, said: 'Spotted fawns are especially vulnerable, so they are afforded heightened protection from private possession under the law.
'When we find illegally possessed captive wildlife, we make every effort to return them safely and humanely to their natural habitat.
'As part of that mission, LDWF enforces laws set by the legislature to keep wildlife wild and protected in its native habitat.'
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