Killing of beloved deer in Pittsburgh-area community angers neighbors
ECONOMY, Pa. (KDKA) — Neighbors in a Beaver County community are devastated and demanding answers after they say a hunter killed a beloved deer named Ginger.
They described her as a wannabe dog who made their days a whole lot brighter. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is now investigating what happened.
People who live along Ridge Avenue in Economy are in mourning over the killing of Ginger the deer and these neighbors are now calling for change.
Whether playing chase in the backyard, visiting a friendly porch, relaxing with friends or getting zoomies, Ginger the deer, kept these neighbors company.
"In and out of the garage, I'd be in there doing something and I'd have to say, 'move Ginger, you're in the way,' and if I'd go in the house she'd look in the back window to see if I was coming back out and if I didn't come out she'd lay right here and wait for me," said neighbor Lenny Deutsch.
"She actually became very good friends with my dog, would come up to the window to have us let the dog out. She was just always around, never hurt anybody and really just brought joy to everybody that met her," said neighbor Blaise Britton.
Now that joy is replaced with devastation after a neighbor hunted Ginger with a crossbow in the wooded yards behind the homes.
Neighbors claim the first arrow didn't kill her. Catherine Madjaric said eventually the hunter discovered Ginger in her yard.
"And [he] asked for permission to come on our property and we did not grant that right away because this is the neighborhood deer and we wanted to make sure what happened is what had to happen," Madjaric said.
Madjaric said she decided she didn't want Ginger to suffer any longer.
"My daughters and I left, we just couldn't be there when she was shot again, which is what ended up happening," Madjaric said.
KDKA-TV knocked on the hunter's home to ask for his side of the story but no one answered.
"Ginger was a tame yet free-ranging animal and the rules and laws just didn't allow us to give her any protections to put any markers on her," Britton said.
"No more hunting in this neighborhood. There are too many children, there are too many pets, the houses are too close together," said Madjaric.
The Game Commission is investigating if the crossbow hunt was legal given the distances to other properties. One neighbor who didn't want to appear on camera said Ginger jumped up on her and gave her a concussion.
She claimed not everyone appreciated her presence. The vast majority of neighbors said they did.
