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A contractor brought in to capture a rogue deer seen running through the city streets on Sunday was disappointed he could not save the animal.
The deer, which was first sighted in Golden Square and eventually contained in a Flora Hill backyard, was euthanised due to its stress levels and injuries.
The animal initially made its way to the backyard of a Williamson Street property, where it was shot with a tranquiliser dart.
However it managed to escape, running across a notoriously busy roundabout at the end of Williamson Street and a number of main roads to Flora Hill, where it was eventually contained in a backyard on Churchill Avenue.
Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service contractor Neil Morgan said he gave the deer enough sedation to calm it down and take away the pain and stress of the animal, but the external commotion at both properties gave the animal adrenaline.
“I’m really disappointed that I could not get a better result for that animal, I was hoping it was going to be ok. Running on bitumen is not ideal for an animal like that,” he said.
The deer, which had injuries to its hooves, had no identification tags and it is still unclear where it came from.
The animal was sedated by a local vet around 6pm on Sunday and a decision was made to euthanise the deer.
City of Greater Bendigo acting manager of parking and animal services, Jock Schofield, suggested the incident was extremely unusual.
“We get the odd deer out on the roads in more rural areas but certainly in an urban area it’s very rare,” he said.
The city first received a call regarding a “cow” at 2.45pm, and the animal was spotted in Golden Square during the afternoon.
Footage given to the Bendigo Advertiser shows the animal running down Queen Street, toward Mitchell Street on Sunday, meaning it could have travelled up to seven kilometres around the CBD fringe before it was contained.
“It has obviously travelled a considerable distance … the welfare of the animal is important to us,” Mr Schofield said.
Wildlife volunteer Brodie Sacharov, who was present at both properties, said he was concerned about the welfare of the animal.
“It has taken them (contractor and City of Greater Bendigo staff) well over two hours to get this animal sedated, and meanwhile the animal is suffering and stressed out by everything that's involved here,” he said.
Police, City of Greater Bendigo staff and Mr Morgan all attended the Flora Hill property on Sunday evening.