Little deer is elusive

pythons, monkeys and lizards - that have escaped from their owners in Florida, add the muntjac, a small Southeast Asian barking deer.

A Seminole man was cited this week for not having the proper caging conditions for the small exotic herbivore that escaped during a thunderstorm Monday.

The muntjac "got out again," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse said on Wednesday, "for the second time."

Morse said the animal was captured the same day it bolted. Scott Daly, the animal's owner, does have the proper state permits for the deer, Morse said.

"He's required to meet the permit conditions," Morse said. "Anything that results in an escape is a violation."

Daly was handed a citation on the escaped animal charge and issued a warning to make the 4-foot fence around his home into a 5-foot fence, Morse said. Daly has 30 days to do that.

The citation is a second-degree misdemeanor, Morse said. Under a change in the law that took place on July 1, if Daly is cited again, he could face enhanced penalties that include jail time and a greater fine, Morse said.

Daly was given a warning in 2009 about the muntjac escaping, Morse said.

The deer escaped to wander the neighborhood in the 8800 block of 108th Lane North, Morse said.

"It's not a dangerous animal," he said. The species ranges in height from 15 to 26 inches tall, he said.

Daly could not be reached for comment.

The deer now is at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehab Center run by Vernon Yates in Pinellas County. Yates said he caught the deer Monday after being called by wildlife officers.

"I found the little deer in the bushes," Yates said this morning. He tried to grab it, but it scooted away. After a couple of more attempts, he called in more than a half-dozen rescue volunteers, and they surrounded the muntjac.

"We surrounded and grabbed the little deer and put the deer in the truck," Yates said, "and the rest is history."

He said he didn't want to shoot the deer, estimated to be 10 years old, with a tranquilizer gun because that could prove fatal.

"It's a small, little deer," Yates said. "It has little antlers, and its top teeth grow down, like a tusk."

He said muntjacs are fairly common among exotic pet owners. There may be as many as 20 privately owned in Pinellas County, he said. They can go for $1,500, but the average price for a muntjac, he said, is about $600.

Daly told Yates that the deer escaped when Daly's wife opened a gate during a thunderstorm and the deer bolted into the street.