Baby, a Pet Deer, Latest Victim of Smug Bureaucrats
A pet deer has been confiscated in Pennsylvania. Tammy Shiery of Fayette County says that she and several neighbors raised the 2-year-old deer from the time they found him as a fawn, but the Pennsylvania Game Commission says that’s illegal.
“Possessing or taking animals from the wild as pets is prohibited under Pennsylvania law,” the Commission’s Southwest Region office declared in a terse press release. “The public is reminded that wildlife poses a safety risk and should not be handled or possessed.”
Shiery says that the deer, which she’s named Baby, has received all the vaccines that are required on deer farms – he’s even been neutered and fitted with a collar – and she believes she has the necessary paperwork to legally keep the deer as a pet.
But Pennsylvania law says that deer can only be kept as pets if they were born in captivity — which Baby was not. Shiery allegedly tried to prevent the seizure and was arrested for her efforts.
The authorities have taken Baby and are now deciding what to do with him, with euthanasia on the table. The episode is reminiscent of Peanut the squirrel, who was put down last October by New York’s overly aggressive Department of Environmental Conservation.
Shiery is fighting back, or trying to. She’s launched a petition on change.org that has been signed by a couple thousand people. “The distressing episode has echoes of another tragedy – the euthanization of PNUT the squirrel, which left countless broken hearts across the country,” the petition reads. “In the interests of justice, compassion, and community bond, we urge the Pennsylvania Game Commission to return Baby to us.”
Because this is 2025, the episode has spawned a memecoin, a crypto currency founded on internet fame. They’re calling it Baby the Deer (BBY). The petition explains: “To aid in this cause, 4% of the memecoin's supply has been reserved specifically for Baby's owners, providing crucial funds to cover their legal fees as they work to reunite with their cherished deer.”
We hope there’s a reunion or at least a happy ending to this debacle. If the Shiery’s don’t get custody of the deer, there are plenty of animal sanctuaries that could adopt him. While there are good reasons to prevent humans from trying to tame wildlife, there’s really no reason to euthanize Baby.
Photo credit: Change.org
