Friendly Deer Hangs Out With Locals At Shinnecock Inlet

Hampton Bays has an unusual celebrity taking over the Shinnecock Inlet: a friendly deer.

The small deer was first spotted near the western side of the inlet about two weeks ago, according to locals. Since then kids, fishermen and families have been returning to the area to play with and feed the young deer.

Although the gender of the deer is unclear, Molly Fargo, a 14-year-old from Hampton Bays, said she likes to call the deer Elliot because it reminds her of Elliot the deer from the 2006 animated movie “Open Season” that is voiced by Ashton Kutcher. “This deer is so friendly and eats everything,” Molly said. “Just like Elliot.”

In the movie, Elliot the deer is rescued from a hunter by Boog, a grizzly bear. Together, the unlikely friends rescue other animals in the woods to keep them safe from hunters.

While Molly’s Elliot appears to be friendly, eating apples and lettuce left for it by onlookers—and, in some instances, being fed directly by those stopping to catch a glimpse of the animal—officials with the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays are warning people that they should not be feeding it. It is against the law to feed wild deer in New York State—and it’s also detrimental to the deer.

“It’s not good for it nutritiously, and it’s not going to be good for its independence,” said Virginia Frati, executive director of the rescue center.

Ms. Frati said her facility is working on sending a volunteer down to the inlet to rescue the deer and find it a new home. When that does happen, possibly within the next few days, the individual will likely have to give the deer a tranquilizer before transporting it back to the facility in one of the center’s vans.

Once that happens, volunteers will continue to tend to the deer until they can find it a forever home—perhaps a licensed sanctuary or a game farm, according to Ms. Frati. “We’re going to try and get it, and perhaps find a place for him,” she said this week.

She said she suspects that the deer might have been raised by people in the area, pointing to its lack of fear when it is approached by strangers.

“By taming them you’re not doing them any favors,” Ms. Frati said. “You’re pretty much giving them a death sentence.”

Since the deer was spotted two weeks ago, Ms. Frati said her rescue center has received about 25 calls about the animal.

Although some people are continuing to feed it, the State Department of Environmental Conservation notes on its website that doing so is illegal and that those who do can face fines of up to $250 and up to 15 days in jail for each day that the offense is committed.

The laws are in place, according to the website, because feeding deer can cause more animals to survive than the natural habitat can support, and the animal can have digestive problems if its diet is suddenly changed.

“We’ve been advising the people who called us to contact the Department of Environmental Conservation, because it’s illegal for people to feed wildlife and it creates a hazard when wildlife become tame,” said Marisa Nelson, assistant director of the Quogue Wildlife Refuge.

When reached on Tuesday afternoon, Aphrodite Montalvo, a spokeswoman for the DEC, said she did not know if the agency had yet been notified of the situation at the Shinnecock Inlet.

Those who stopped to feed the deer this week said they were prompted to do so because they feared for the animal’s well-being, stating that it appeared to be domesticated.

“I do gardening where they run around, but none of them is like this,” Hampton Bays resident Meredith McKinney said of the deer. “She is just so gentle. It would be so easy for someone to hurt her.”

Ms. McKinney brought the deer apples, lettuce, carrots and other assorted vegetables on Monday afternoon—four days after she first spotted the deer—because she was worried about it not having enough food to eat.

“You can tell it’s young, because it’s choosing apples over its greens,” Ms. McKinney said with a laugh, comparing the deer to a child.

On Monday afternoon, Ms. McKinney was joined by Molly, who is also a volunteer at the Southampton Animal Shelter and a frequent visitor to the inlet to see Elliot over the past week.

“They say they’re more scared of you than you are of them,” Molly said, “but that’s not the case with her. I think a small kid would be more scared of her.”

She added that she hopes someone comes soon to rescue Elliot. “I don’t think she knows she’s a wild animal,” Molly said.