If you live in Whiting, in particular the Roosevelt City neighborhood, you may sometimes see a female deer that limps on three legs, refusing to use her front right leg to walk. This article will help answer any questions regarding her. 

Tripod the deer has been seen around Whiting in Roosevelt City for a few months now, with an injury to her front right leg that makes her stand on three legs (hence her name). Every day she can be seen making her rounds around Chilvers Avenue in particular with her fellow deer in her herd. Locals have been wondering if anything could be done to help this wild injured deer, so last July I called the experts at Popcorn Park Zoo. 

Upon seeing Tripod the deer for the first time a few months back, her injury to her leg was obvious as she refused to stand on it. In July, I contacted the Popcorn Park Zoo concerning Tripod and what could be done to help her, and to paraphrase, I was told over the phone that if she could still run and still had other deer staying near her, that she could only be left alone. The lady on the phone said that if Tripod could still run she was going to get hurt or killed trying to resist capture upon rescue, and that if Tripod could run away that was a good sign. Other deer staying close to Tripod is a good sign also because that means she is not rejected by her herd for slowing them down or being a considerable liability in terms of predation. 

Tripod, as of mid-September, can be seen with her spotted fawn and mate, a male deer with a large rack, along with the rest of her herd. Her and her family of two are more cautious than the other deer, running away at the slightest sound or the sight of a human too close. Tripod is able to keep up with her mate and her fawn, even if her run looks a bit awkward on three legs. The time to call an animal rescue group for Tripod or for any wild injured deer is when they cannot walk, are an orphaned baby, or are injured and alone. In Tripod’s case, if she is seen in worse condition, struggling to walk and alone, that’s when help is to be called. 

As for orphaned baby deer, mother deer typically leave their fawns alone for hours at a time when they are young, however it is not normal if the mother is away for a whole day (24+ hours) without coming to her baby, and that is when help should be called. An exception to this is if the baby is injured, lethargic, or crying for hours at a time, in which case, help should be called immediately. A healthy fawn curled up in the grass is normal, but a lethargic or distressed fawn in the grass is not. 

Sources: 

My experience on the phone with Popcorn Park Zoo, and observation of Tripod

Wildlife Center of Virginia: https://www.wildlifecenter.org/baby-deer