Vancouver's Downtown Deer struck, killed by car in Stanley Park

Vancouver's Downtown Deer appears to have been struck and killed by a car in Stanley Park last night.

According to Vancouver police, officers were called to the Vancouver end of the Lions Gate Bridge around 7:30 p.m. PT Sunday, after a deer was struck by a car and killed. Two cars were damaged in the incident, said the Vancouver Park Board in a statement.

Based on the location, it was "very likely" the same deer that had been observed in Stanley Park since late July, said an official with the B.C. Ministry of Forests. Despite its size, Stanley Park does not have a deer population.

The deer was removed from the roadway before officers arrived and the incident has now been turned over to animal control, said police.

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Deer habituated to humans

The so-called Downtown Deer caused a media stir when it was first spotted strolling through the streets of downtown Vancouver earlier this summer.

Someone quickly launched a Twitter account on the deer's behalf. It later took up residence in Stanley Park where it became a hit with tourists eager to feed it and pose with it in photos and videos.

"We remind people that this is exactly the kind of tragedy that often occurs when wildlife become habituated to humans," said the park board in a statement, urging people to keep an appropriate distance from wildlife.

"The deer had become habituated to people feeding and petting it ... Contact with people can cause animals to become dependent and aggressive towards humans," said Vancouver Park Board biologist Nick Page in a statement.

The deer could not have been successfully relocated elsewhere, according to the park board and forest ministry, because it would have either become a problem somewhere else, or starved unable to fend for itself.