NORTON SHORES, Mich. — We've all heard of the red nosed reindeer, but have you heard of an orange nosed deer?
Rose Casperson captured a video of a deer in her backyard with a plastic pumpkin stuck to it's nose.
Casperson says one of her neighbors had a planter in his front yard decorated with plastic pumpkins, which must have been where the deer got it's nose stuck.
As she showed me the plastic pumpkin, she explained, “The deer got its head stuck in there, and then the strap went over the back of the ears, and it couldn't get it back off.”
Fortunately, Casperson believes that the deer broke free from the plastic pumpkin. Casperson's husband noticed that the plastic pumpkin that she found has the same dent as the one in the video.
As the retired Director for the Noah Project, a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter in Muskegon, Casperson has one message for anyone with Halloween decorations in their yard: “I just want everybody to know, just cut the straps if you put these out in your yard.”
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has more information on how other property owners could avoid a situation like this. The department has an online guide encouraging all decorations to "use care out there."
Rachel Lincoln, a Wildlife Outreach Coordinator with the DNR's Wildlife Division, says it can be as simple as being aware that pumpkins, gourds, potted plants and flowers may bring deer, squirrels, birds, and other animals to your property.
Lincoln says avoiding the use of paint, bleach or other chemicals on pumpkins can go a long way because those substances can be harmful to wildlife that eat the pumpkins and other items.
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