A man was fined for letting two deer live in his home. The West Virginia Natural Resources Police (NRP) found the animals living as pets in Ronnie Chapman’s Ona, W.Va., house July 4 after receiving a complaint, according to WSAZ.
When two NRP officers went to the Cabell County house Saturday, they immediately saw a six-point buck standing in the middle of the house. Then, while interviewing the homeowner, “they could hear the commotion in the back part of the house, and the man tried to explain it away as a dog,” police spokesman Sgt. Gary Amick told the Washington Post. “He finally confessed it was a second buck.” Amick also said the house was full of feces and covered in urine-soaked straw.
However, Officer Joshua Addesa, who was at the scene when the animals were rescued, told WSAZ: “There was enough compelling evidence that showed they were living full-time in the home.”
Chapman was charged with two counts of illegal possession of wildlife. In court Tuesday, he was required to pay a $300 fine.
As for the bucks, “they weren’t in as good a shape as they would have been out in nature,” said Amick, according to the Washington Post, but they were set free into the wild. The younger deer took off right away, but the older one is still hanging around. He was found nuzzling up to his human friend during WSAZ’s visit—but outside the house.
Watch the news report featuring Chapman’s interview below.
