When Kristen England set out for her usual run early Tuesday morning, she never imagined she would end up in hospital after being attacked by wildlife.
The Kelowna, B.C., woman was out running with her Australian Shepherd Border Collie at around 7 a.m. on Abbott Street near the downtown core.
When she turned onto Riverside Avenue, she noticed two does up ahead with a buck appearing a moment later.
“My dog Walter and I immediately stopped and the deer immediately started tracking us and I turned and slowly backed up because I knew that we were in trouble,” England told Global News.
But the deer gave chase.
A terrified England tried to take cover between a fence and parked car but when that didn’t work, she sought refuge in a nearby front yard.
The buck, however, didn’t back down and proceeded to attack her.
“It was awful, feels so surreal,” England said.
England said the buck charged at her, digging its antlers into her legs.
But what happened next really shocked her.
“It picked me up and threw me, like I was actually off the ground,” England said.
She ended up hitting the railing of a staircase — the impact so strong that it broke the wooden railing.
The commotion and noise alerted the homeowner to come out and assist a hurt England, who suffered numerous lacerations and bruises to both her legs and arm.
She was taken to hospital where she received a tetanus shot.
Neighbours said the trio of deer has been in the neighbourhood for some time.
In fact, the deer were spotted by Global News a short time after the interview with England.
“It is rutting season for deer at this time,” said Lisa Lopez, program manager for Wildsafe BC. “November being a very high activity month for male deer.”
According to experts, bucks may perceive humans as rivals for mates.
“People being very aware of their surroundings is really important,” Lopez said. “Getting behind something, you know, getting behind a tree, getting behind a building, that kind of thing. Putting something between you and that animal is really important.”
England’s attack was reported to B.C.’s Conservation Officer Service, which has since put up signage in the area warning the public of aggressive deer.
England said she wanted to share her story to warn others in an effort it doesn’t happen to anyone else.
“Just really be vigilant and mindful of what is going on around you because if I hadn’t had my head up or I had had my head down, things could have been a lot worse,” England said.