Lethbridge Police Officer Kills Injured Deer By Driving Over It Multiple Times

[Coach]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Well, it depends; if you have a bowie knife (or an axe, or something that can quickly and cleanly administer a coup de gras) in your car you could make it pretty quick and non-traumatic, at least for the animal.

The comment was in regards to the snowbrush story, obviously. If you are able and have the knowhow to end the animal's life with a knife, by all means.

I guess i think about it like, were I dying in a ditch, would I want to wait there in my current, non-screaming anguish, for a couple hours, potentially dying in that time, to have someone come and put a bullet in my head? Or would I want to die in the next 5-15 minutes enduring unimaginable torture while some unknown creature hacks at me mercilessly with an object barely equipped to to remove ice from a windshield?

I think I'll take the former personally.

[WhiteTiger]

Hm, a lot going on with this one.

A dispatcher didn't tell him what to do, one way or another. We don't have that kind of authority over the officer. We send them out, and how they handle the particulars of their job is their business according to their protocols. No dispatcher will be telling an officer how to do their job, or if they are, there's a bigger problem. The officer can ask for the dispatchers advice, but they are under no obligation to follow that, either.

When this happens in Calgary (and it does more often than you think) the officer just uses their sidearm. I've sent out about a dozen of these calls so far (the most recent was just last week, as it happens) and the sidearm is always used.

Personally, that was hard to watch, and it seems to me that there MUST have been a better way to end that animals suffering. I admit that while I have used guns before, I am no expert in their use by any means, and have read that perhaps the officer was worried about the high potential of a ricochet due to a bullet hitting concrete after going through the animal. I have no idea how legit that concern or issue is, and certainly couldn't speak on it. Even if that is the case, and that is a legit worry, there has to a better way.

If absolutely nothing else, this was a bad decision from a public optics perspective, and should have been considered along that line by the officer as well.

I'm going to be interested in the ASIRT report on this one.

[Locke]

Does he get to memorialize the kill by putting the silhouette of a Deer on the side of his squad car like fighter pilots do?

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

Hm, a lot going on with this one.

A dispatcher didn't tell him what to do, one way or another. We don't have that kind of authority over the officer. We send them out, and how they handle the particulars of their job is their business according to their protocols. No dispatcher will be telling an officer how to do their job, or if they are, there's a bigger problem. The officer can ask for the dispatchers advice, but they are under no obligation to follow that, either.

When this happens in Calgary (and it does more often than you think) the officer just uses their sidearm. I've sent out about a dozen of these calls so far (the most recent was just last week, as it happens) and the sidearm is always used.

Personally, that was hard to watch, and it seems to me that there MUST have been a better way to end that animals suffering. I admit that while I have used guns before, I am no expert in their use by any means, and have read that perhaps the officer was worried about the high potential of a ricochet due to a bullet hitting concrete after going through the animal. I have no idea how legit that concern or issue is, and certainly couldn't speak on it. Even if that is the case, and that is a legit worry, there has to a better way.

If absolutely nothing else, this was a bad decision from a public optics perspective, and should have been considered along that line by the officer as well.

I'm going to be interested in the ASIRT report on this one.

What would a dispatcher’s advice be if it was a regular citizen who called in? I know it’s not 9-11 level stuff, but would they advise to kill the deer, or send an officer or somebody?

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Wormius

What would a dispatcher’s advice be if it was a regular citizen who called in? I know it’s not 9-11 level stuff, but would they advise to kill the deer, or send an officer or somebody?

Unfortunately they're gonna send someone. Not likely they'd encourage an average citizen to attempt to euthanize a wild animal. Danger and liability and stuff.

Unless Huntingwhale calls. Then they're going to insist he beat the animal to death with a small plastic utensil. While filming the incident. STOP CRYING OR I'LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO CRY ABOUT!!!

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Unfortunately they're gonna send someone. Not likely they'd encourage an average citizen to attempt to euthanize a wild animal. Danger and liability and stuff.

^

In Calgary, you'd be advised to leave it be, and an officer would be sent out as soon as possible (the response time for this is pretty quick, it's a humane thing to do) as citizens could also get in trouble for discharging a firearm inside city limits on top of what Cecil mentioned.

Outside of Calgary, I'm told that the RCMP will either advise you to leave it alone and they'll have someone come and deal with it, or to contact Fish and Wildlife to have them attend.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

^

In Calgary, you'd be advised to leave it be, and an officer would be sent out as soon as possible (the response time for this is pretty quick, it's a humane thing to do) as citizens could also get in trouble for discharging a firearm inside city limits on top of what Cecil mentioned.

Outside of Calgary, I'm told that the RCMP will either advise you to leave it alone and they'll have someone come and deal with it, or to contact Fish and Wildlife to have them attend.

If you report it do you get to take it home and eat it after the coup de grace? if not the hell with that!!

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by DownhillGoat

Not that I doubt the story, but kicking the thing would have been quicker than a snow brush. What do they weigh, half a pound?

The deer probably just pretended to be dead to stop the beatings from the snow brush. I now can’t help but imagine people trying to use everyday objects to euthanize animals, maybe taking turns with a spatula to try to finish off some poor animal.

[midniteowl]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

That’s one way to tenderize.

[81MC]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

LOL no reason to lie about beating a deer to death with a snow brush for my own sick pleasure . If you really want I can give you his cell number to confirm with him.

I’m sorry, but have you considered your friend is secretly a psychopath with a cover story for why he beat a deer to death? There is no way in hell any person would determine a very long, torturous beating is a merciful death. Unless they’re a ####ing physcopath.
I wish I was joking, but if there’s an ounce of truth to what he says, my god.

Newsflash, repeatedly beating something to death is the opposite of a coup de grace.

[Pizza]

Originally Posted by 81MC

I’m sorry, but have you considered your friend is secretly a psychopath with a cover story for why he beat a deer to death? There is no way in hell any person would determine a very long, torturous beating is a merciful death. Unless they’re a ####ing physcopath.
I wish I was joking, but if there’s an ounce of truth to what he says, my god.

Newsflash, repeatedly beating something to death is the opposite of a coup de grace.

If you found an animal that's mortally wounded and suffering on the road and there's no help in any direction, would you leave the animal to suffer? would you try to put it out of it's misery any way possible?

it's a tough moral spot to be in

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

If you report it do you get to take it home and eat it after the coup de grace? if not the hell with that!!

To the best of my knowledge, post-euthanization, the carcass is taken by 311 to the Shepard Landfill. Apparently there's a special disposal location there for them.

But I'm not 100% certain. Honestly, after CPS (or F&W) take care of the humane business, 311 is contacted for cleanup and disposal. What they do/how they do it is based on their policies.

[Envitro]

I know that most provinces have a law on the books that if you hit a deer with a vehicle (i.e. roadkill) you can call F&W, and if they confirm that it was an accident you can request to keep the meat, rather than it go to waste. That's assuming that there's edible and safe meat left. For obvious reasons they want to make sure that guys are shooting deer without a tag and out of season and saying that they hit it on a road, etc. (i.e. poaching).

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Pizza

If you found an animal that's mortally wounded and suffering on the road and there's no help in any direction, would you leave the animal to suffer? would you try to put it out of it's misery any way possible?

it's a tough moral spot to be in

Yes. If I had something more effective and humane than a car tire or a snow brush.

Picture two men taking turns beating a wounded animal to death...with a snow brush. The absurdity cripples my mind.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Well, it depends; if you have a bowie knife (or an axe, or something that can quickly and cleanly administer a coup de grace) in your car you could make it pretty quick and non-traumatic, at least for the animal.

Would you slit its throat or??

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Would you slit its throat or??

No, beat it with the handle.

[Locke]

Sooo....lets play a game, its called:

"How would you Euthanize an injured Deer with just whats in your car?"

I'll go first.

I'm ashamed to admit that I dont have a proper Roadside Emergency kit in my car. Off the top of my head I have:

- Snow Brush (of course)
- Spare Tire (and accompanying accouterments)
- Matches
- Gloves (wool)
- Blanket (wool)
- Chloroform and Duct Tape
- 1 Bottle Windshield Washer fluid (All-Season)
- 1 Bottle Radiator Fluid (Pre-Mixed)
- 2 Calgary Flames Car Flags
- Booster Cables
- Toque

So the scenario is that I've winged a Deer and its injured by the roadside and cant move. Its going to die eventually, I'm trying to be a good child of Mother Gaia and to put one of her creatures to rest as humanely as possible.

The car flags and snowbrush dont seem ideal. The tire iron is one of those 'X' types so you cant get a real good swing and theres not much force or weight behind it.

So far its looking like building some sort of pyre out of my gloves, blanket and toque and using the booster cables to drag the Deer onto it and setting it ablaze is my best bet.

Or tying the blanket to the car-jack somehow to create some sort of swingable weapon...that jack has some nice weight to it.

Or perhaps strangling it to death using the Booster Cables?

But what I wouldnt do is drive my car at it for a quarter of an hour like an idiot...

[Wormius]

It's probably not possible to say, but how long would a deer survive if you just left it alone? Is it really worth torturing the poor animal for however long if it's going to expire without any intervention a short time later?

[Envitro]

One thing to keep in mind in this whole conversation, is yes, the deer probably would have suffered a bit longer and just expired on its own if left alone.

Which is more humane? I can't say for sure, but running it over and making it scream is not on the list of humane actions. Worst case scenario is leave it alone.

"Nature is metal" as they say. In the wild the animals get eaten ass-end first by wolves while they're still alive. Let's keep it in perspective. Leaving it alone to take it's last breath would have been much better IMO than trying to kill it by running it over back and forth with a vehicle. What a dummy.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Locke

Sooo....lets play a game, its called:

"How would you Euthanize an injured Deer with just whats in your car?"

I'll go first.

I'm ashamed to admit that I dont have a proper Roadside Emergency kit in my car. Off the top of my head I have:

- Snow Brush (of course)
- Spare Tire (and accompanying accouterments)
- Matches
- Gloves (wool)
- Blanket (wool)
- Chloroform and Duct Tape
- 1 Bottle Windshield Washer fluid (All-Season)
- 1 Bottle Radiator Fluid (Pre-Mixed)
- 2 Calgary Flames Car Flags
- Booster Cables
- Toque

So the scenario is that I've winged a Deer and its injured by the roadside and cant move. Its going to die eventually, I'm trying to be a good child of Mother Gaia and to put one of her creatures to rest as humanely as possible.

The car flags and snowbrush dont seem ideal. The tire iron is one of those 'X' types so you cant get a real good swing and theres not much force or weight behind it.

So far its looking like building some sort of pyre out of my gloves, blanket and toque and using the booster cables to drag the Deer onto it and setting it ablaze is my best bet.

Or tying the blanket to the car-jack somehow to create some sort of swingable weapon...that jack has some nice weight to it.

Or perhaps strangling it to death using the Booster Cables?

But what I wouldnt do is drive my car at it for a quarter of an hour like an idiot...

How about hooking the deer up to your car battery?