The captive pet deer, belonging to a children’s environmental education center, were beaten to death.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY – Investigators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are looking for the person(s) who brually beat three pet deer to death.

The killing happened sometime between the afternoon hours of Oct. 2 and the early morning hours of Oct. 3 at Nature’s Classroom, an environmental education center belonging to the Hillsborough County School System. Officials say one or more unknown people entered a fenced enclosure at the education center, 13100 Verges Road in Thonotosassa. Once inside, the suspect(s) brutally beat three captive wildlife deer with a blunt object.

   The two adult deer, a male named Bucky and a female named Rosie, were found dead by a staff caretaker when she arrived at work. The third, younger female deer named Katie, was treated by a veterinarian for her injuries, however, she died the next day. The family of deer were considered as pets to both the staff and the children who visited the park each day.

Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the unknown suspect(s) involved in this case. Anyone with any information regarding the identity of the suspect(s) and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the P3 Tips Mobile application. Crime Stoppers must be contacted first in order to be eligible for a cash reward.

For information about Nature’s Classroom, go to sdhc.k12.fl.us.

Photos of Bucky, Rosie and Katy courtesy of Crimestoppers.

Nature’s Classroom | Deer Killed | Florida Fish and Wildlife | TB Reporter

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