It’s standard practice to don a blaze orange vest before heading into the woods during hunting season. But it’s not common that animals themselves take the added precaution.
CBS affiliate WSBT reports that a deer has been spotted wearing a blaze orange vest as it wanders the woods of Mishawaka, Indiana.
Wildlife officials believe someone “adopted” the young deer and then put the vest on it to protect the animal from hunters.
“So that people would think, ‘Oh, I don’t want to shoot that deer or harvest this animal because it’s someone’s pet,’” Department of Natural Resources Patrol Officer Matt Maher told the TV station.
But wildlife officials worry that the deer will become crippled as it grows and the vest becomes restrictive.
“We definitely believe if the vest is not removed that it will cause a significant amount of trauma to the animal,” Maher told WSBT.
The Department of Natural Resources is working with local veterinarians to locate and tranquilize the deer so that the vest can be removed, according to the TV station.