Oh, deer!

n The AGFC recommends observing Doug from a distance.

Photo Submitted Doug the Deer posed for a photo with Nicholas Robinson, John Brown University director of sports information, after a soccer game on Aug. 20. Doug attended the game, hanging around the bleachers and posing for pictures with fans and players.
Photo Submitted Doug the Deer posed for a photo with Nicholas Robinson, John Brown University director of sports information, after a soccer game on Aug. 20. Doug attended the game, hanging around the bleachers and posing for pictures with fans and players.

Siloam Springs residents have discovered they have been adopted by a new mascot, Doug the Deer.

The young deer has become somewhat of a social media star and a town legend because of his friendly ways. He spends his time near John Brown University's campus, hanging out with students, joining people for evening walks on the trail, posing for selfies, attending soccer games and visiting nearby neighborhoods.

Social media posts and videos of Doug have attracted thousands, and in some cases tens of thousands of views. Real estate agent Christina Drake, who recently posted a video of Doug, said she was showing a house when Doug came up into the yard to visit with the family. The family knew Doug was friendly because he hung out on the walking trails at JBU, and the kids spent the next 25 to 30 minutes petting Doug.

Once they began to leave, Drake saw Doug standing in the yard watching them drive off, so she went back to take a video with him. As she spoke, he walked right up behind her and joined her in the forefront. The video uploaded to Facebook with the hashtag #dougthedeer has since received nearly 24,000 views.

"Who knew Doug would be so friendly and popular," Drake said. "He is such a sweet, sweet deer and definitely a selling point for the owners at 1402 Savannah Lane, and for all of Siloam Springs for that matter."

Doug made another appearance at a JBU soccer game on Aug. 20, according to Nick Robinson, director of JBU sports information. Robinson said he was covering the soccer game with his back to the woods and didn't notice Doug come up. When he turned around, Doug was right behind the bleachers, interacting with people. After the game, he saw Doug walking along with the opposing women's soccer team, posing for more photos.

"Apparently he comes out to the soccer field very often during practices," Robinson said. "It would not surprise me if he made a dramatic entrance onto the field during a game one day."

Robinson first became aware of Doug in March. Since then he has seen him numerous times, and has even spotted him as far up on campus as the tennis courts, he said. He has even considered making him an unofficial mascot.

Saturday was the first time that Robinson got up close to Doug, petting him and taking a selfie with him.

"You think this is not supposed to happen," Robinson said. "It just warms your heart and restores your faith in the world."

Doug's fame has grown, and his face and name have been printed on T-shirts. Tyler Carroll, owner of TC Screen Printing, began printing Doug the Deer shirts in June at the request of a friend. One shirt says "Doug is my Homeboy," and another says, "Siloam's got Doug."

Doug acts more like a dog than a deer, said Becky Seauve, who works at TC Screen Printing.

Carroll first became aware of Doug early last spring. He is often spotted laying next to JBU students on campus while they sit in the grass and study, or hanging out along the walking trails. Doug often follows people and puts his head under people's hands to be petted, he said.

The Doug the Deer shirts are the first in a series of "Siloam Legends," shirts, which include bear shirts and plans for mysterious cave shirts and shirts featuring the springs. He has sold out of most sizes of Doug the Deer shirts and plans to reprint more soon.

Carroll explained that many destinations feature shirts with images of local attractions. While tourists might not get some of the shirts, they have gone over really well with Siloam Springs residents who get the humor behind them, he said.

"It's like (a) giant inside town joke," said Seauve.

Despite Doug's unusually friendly behavior, approaching him and interacting with him is not a good idea, according to Levi Horrell, wildlife biologist for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Horrell recommended that people observe Doug from a distance and enjoy the fact there is a wild deer tame enough that people frequently get to view him.

"I certainly recommend people leave him alone," Horrell said. "Don't try to approach him or take pictures. Don't try to feed it. He's actually a wild animal -- not a pet -- a part of nature."

Captain Brian McKinzie, of the AGFC, wrote in an email that he is familiar with Doug and that he was a pet deer who was coddled since birth. It is now illegal to keep pet deer in Arkansas, he said.

Horrell wasn't familiar with Doug's circumstances specifically, but he said the average deer avoids people. It is possible that an individual who lives in town with a lot of people around, no hunting pressure and nothing that reinforces fear could become accustomed to people, he said. It is not usually the best thing for the animal to become accustomed to interacting with humans, he said.

Horrell said it is hard to say if there are any safety concerns for people interacting with Doug, but said that male deer generally get more aggressive during the rut season as they try to chase each other off and compete for the attention of females. Doug is still a wild animal that could be spooked or react in an unpredictable way that could be a risk for humans around him, he said.

Horrell responded to rumors that Doug could have a health problem like Chronic Wasting Disease, and said that it is impossible to tell if a deer has the disease by looking at them. Even if a deer were to look unhealthy, (Doug does not) there are many reasons that could cause their appearance, such as more common diseases and old age, he said.

AGFC has tested many, many deer in Benton and Washington County and none have been found to have the disease so far, he added.

"The smart thing is to observe from a distance," said Horrell. "It's nice and all there is a deer tame enough people can get to view it a lot, but don't treat it as a pet."

The Herald-Leader has been unsuccesful at multiple attempts to view Doug.

General News on 08/28/2016