It seems this may be the last that we've 'herd' of the escaped deer from a venison processing plant in Mosgiel, with police saying it would be "almost impossible" to find them again.
Sixteen of the animals escaped their pen at Otago Venison yesterday morning and ran through the streets before heading into forestry and farm blocks.
Bemused members of the public who spotted the deer called police and told them of their whereabouts and while Sergeant Kevin Davidson says that information was helpful and four were recaptured, the remaining ones still managed to disappear into the wild.
Today, the deer dozen were still missing.
"We're pretty much certain they're not within the urban area, so they're not in the Mosgiel township, and from the number of sightings we've had it's pretty evident they've taken off into the forestry land surrounding the town," Sgt Davidson says.
"We won't be looking for them. Once they're in the forestry area there it's almost impossible to get them out. I think they'll be fair game for some deer shooter further down the track."
Because the deer aren't in town, they don't pose a risk to the public any more than other "feral" animals do, he says.
The story made international headlines and while Sgt Davidson says he can see the humorous side of the incident, it still had the potential for danger.
"We'll we've certainly got a lot of ragging about it over the past few days – there's been deer jokes and Santa Claus jokes for Africa."
However, because the animals were likely stressed after their escape, they did pose a safety risk.
3 News / RadioLIVE
source: newshub archive