Mercy, the Deer

Within the first week of our moving back to Colorado, we were visited by several beautiful deer.  I noticed right away that there was one female deer who was shy and reserved, unlike her sisters.  She would be the last one to eat the leaves off the tree and the last one in line up the trail.  She didn’t seem to have much contact with her gang and that broke my heart.  After a few weeks, we began to gain this deer’s trust.  Soon we noticed her sticking around a little longer than the others.  So, we would throw a few carrots out on the grass and watched her get fat and healthy.

After a couple of months of group visits, this female deer began to come alone.  At first, she would lay beside the house in the shade and not greet any of us.  Then, little by little she would come up to our back window as we watched television, but quickly scamper if we tried to speak to her.  It was during one of these times when we noticed something different.  She had a broken rear leg.  Having one of these injuries must of caused her to be an outcast from the other deer because when the other deer came around, they would head-bunt her and knock her out of the way.  So, we took her under our wing as much as we could and named her Mercy. Mercy kept to her routine for months by visiting us daily. Thankfully, her leg healed, only leaving her a scared bump above the knee. That is how we recognize her now.

 

Mercy has become part of the family.  She is friends with our outside pet bunny and nose-to-nose window friends with our inside cats.  It was exciting to see Mercy finally begin to trust us and not run if we decided to spend time with her on our deck. She is a loyal wildlife friend who, just like everyone else, needs to feel loved.

This last spring, Mercy had a baby.  Since that happened, we figured this was her opening to finally become accepted by her female group again.  However,  just as her mother, the baby was also shunned by the group.  We’re still not sure why this happens to her.  It must be something we humans can’t ‘see’.  Anyway,  we know that the time will come when her baby will leave and find a group of her own, leaving Mercy once again to herself; but we’ll be here.  She is always welcome to lick our glass doors, eat the berries off our trees, and pose for many photos.

“I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.’ Jeremiah 30:17