F A L L O W D E E R R E S E R V E, Florida, Ontario, Canada

November 23, 2008, 4pm

Don Murphy and his dog, Jenna, found the remains of Dandy on Empey Road off McConnell Road. He had been shot in the head, his antlers were cut off and left along with his head and skin. His ear tag is missing. It appears he was shot today as people had reported sightings yesterday on Thorpe Road.

Not only did these "hunters" shoot Dandy out of season, they did so on a Sunday and showed that they were aware of their lawlessness by not treating his remains with the respect deserved. Our only consolation is that we know where all our fallow deer are and the search has ended on a dreary, sad note but ended after two weeks of worry and concern.

November 22, 2008...Dandy is still at loose. Last seen in the Maple Road/Rose Road area, quite close to the 401. If seen, please call (613) 386-1355 with time, location, etc.

NOVEMBER 15 UPDATE...WE HAVE MORE GOOD NEWS. MOMENTS AGO, EGEE WAS RE-CAPTURED WITHOUT THE USE OF TRANQUILIZERS. WENDY AND DON WERE ABLE TO LURE HIM INTO A HORSE TRAILER WITH CORN. COUNT IS NOW 11 DEER ENCLOSED, ONE IS STILL LOOSE (DANDY) AND ONE FATALITY.NOVEMBER 13, UPDATEMOKI has been returned to the reserve alive and well thanks to the dedication of Mike the Hunter who managed to get him into a horse-trailer following a white-tail female scented fake deer. It's complicated. More on this story to follow soon. Stats now are 10 deer enclosed, 2 on the loose, 1 fatality.
NOVEMBER 10 UPDATE
Ty, one of our younger fallow deer, died this afternoon at the Reserve. Cause of death was capture myopathy. He died quickly and painlessly at the Reserve, just before he was to be released back to join the herd. See blog for more details.

CALL 613-386-1355 TO REPORT ANY DEER SIGHTING.

NOVEMBER 9 UPDATE
GEORGE AND GULLIVER HAVE RETURNED TO THE RESERVE THANKS TO HELP FROM SO MANY WHO HAVE CALLED TO GIVE US INFO ABOUT FALLOW DEER SIGHTING. 9 IN, 4 STILL ON THE LOOSE IN THE MCCONNELL ROAD AREA, THORPE ROAD AREA, CUMMINS ROAD AND FLORIDA ROAD.

November 6, 2008
DEER FENCE WAS CUT BY UNKNOWN PERSONS SOME TIME BETWEEN 5PM AND 5AM THIS MORNING...SIX DEER HAVE ESCAPED...IF YOU SEE ONE OF THE FALLOW DEER, PLEASE CALL 613-386-1355. TRY TO FEED THE DEER APPLES OR CORN, GIVE THEM WATER AND KEEP THEM CALM. WE WILL COME. WORKING ON GETTING AN EXPERT WITH TRANQUILIZER GUN TO ASSIST. PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT.THESE ARE NON-NATIVE DEER. THEY WILL NOT SURVIVE WINTER WITHOUT OUR HELP.PLEASE HELP.THANKS.

Our last Sunday open gate for this year was on September 28, 2008. There will be no regular weekly open gates again until next June. The deer are starting to come into rut and are a bit unpredictable. Some parents might find it difficult to explain why the bucks are behaving they way they do. Also the herd is quite lethargic. Allan, our head deerkeeper, thinks they are resting, waiting for the females to arrive but he doesn't think they know what they are waiting for.

From now till next June, please call (613) 386-3673 to arrange a visit.

If you have apple trees and excess apples to donate, we are happy to accept them!

Our History

On October 1, 2005, it came to the attention of Don Murphy and Wendy Workman of Wilton that a farmer in the community, whose health was failing, could no longer maintain adequate care for over 100 Fallow Deer on his farm near Odessa. The deer were being destroyed by canned hunt. After witnessing this, Wendy and Don stepped in and spoke to the farmer about alternatives. Within 24 hours, they had adopted 109 Fallow Deer with the help of an anonymous sponsor who donated $4000 to purchase the herd. Don and Wendy turned the farm into a Reserve, to allow the animals to live out their natural lives without harm. The farmer agreed to keep the deer on his property until our small group could find an established sanctuary for them. Since Fallow Deer are native to Europe, not to Canada, they cannot be released into the wild and must be kept in captivity.

A group of volunteers joined Don and Wendy and helped with the testing of the herd and transporting the does and fawns to Omega Park in Quebec on April 23, 2006. Then when land was found, a major fencing project at the Florida Road site began enclosing 10 acres with 8 foot fencing. Thanks to Don Murphy (design), Emerald Murphy (heavy equipment), Bernie Sagriff (drilling), Chadwick Engineering (welding), Lennox Snow Fence Ltd and Loyalist Township and The Community Foundation of Greater Kingston, it was completed in time to move the "unwanted" bucks from the old farm to the new reserve on May 26, 2007.

The present reserve consists of 13 male fallow deer who are cared for and who have sanctuary on land owned by Jane McDonald and Allan Park and are enjoying life in Florida, Ontario in the City of Kingston, in a permanent, natural setting. The bucks are very healthy and doing extremely well.

The Fallow Deer Committee

Don Murphy, President
Wendy Workman, Secretary
Jane McDonald, Treasurer
Allan Park, Head Deer-keeper

Board Members: Lorraine Alderman,
Monique Cloutier, Aida Sulcs

Veterinary Advisor:
Dr. Brian Willows
Thousand Islands Veterinary Services, Gananoque

Mailing address:
Fallow Deer Reserve
c/o 204 Simmons Road, RR2
Odessa, ON K0H 2H0
(613) 386-3673

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Please no dogs

Because dogs do bother the deer and increase their stress level, we ask that you leave your dog(s) at home when you visit us. Thanks.

Blog Posts

Photos

Check out the blog entry for October 23, 2008 to find out about the 2009 Desk Calendars we are selling to raise funds.

Fallow Deer Reserve is registered as a charity in Canada because it benefits the community by preventing cruelty to animals through the operation of a safe, permanent and natural shelter
for the lifetime of rescued fallow deer who are not native to Canada and cannot survive Canadian winter without hay and water.

We do not buy, sell or breed animals.

Each buck is treated as an individual, but not as a pet.
Each animal has his own name because he has his own personality.

To arrange a visit, please email us. Thanks!

Our 8 foot fencing (enclosing 10 acres) was made possible by assistance from Loyalist Township, the Community Foundation of Greater Kingston, Don and Emerald Murphy, Lennox Snow Fence Ltd., Chadwick Engineering, Bernie Sagriff and many hard-working volunteers.

BUCK LEVEL:

For a donation of $100 or more, you become the official sponsor of one of the bucks, whichever one you wish. You will receive a certificate of sponsorship along with a photo of the buck you have "adopted". We can also arrange a visit to meet your buck in person and send you updates and photos via email of how your dear deer is doing.

SPIKER LEVEL:

For a donation of $50, you become an official friend and receive a guided visit to the reserve to meet your buck as well as email updates and photos.

FAWN LEVEL:

Any donation will give you an invitation to visit the reserve by appointment and a tour by our experienced deer-keepers.

$156

will feed each buck for one year or pay for one short visit from the vet.

$100

will purchase 10 bags of corn or 50 bales of hay.

$50

will provide shelter maintenance for six months.

$45

will provide vitamin and mineral supplement lick for the entire herd for one month.

$15

will provide food for one deer for one month including corn, oats, apples, carrots, salt and mineral lick as well as good hay in the winter months.

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We issue tax receipts for any donation of $5.00 or more.

Thanks for visiting our site.
To donate by cheque, please make payable to
"Fallow Deer Reserve"
and mail to
204 Simmons Road, RR2, Odessa ON K0H 2H0.