Annual General Meeting Minutes

Third Annual General Meeting
FALLOW DEER RESERVE
Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 5:15pm, Kingston, Ontario

Present: Don Murphy, President, Jane McDonald, Treasurer, Allan Park, Head Deer Keeper, Lorraine Alderman, Aida Sulcs, Board Members
Regrets: Wendy Workman, Monique Cloutier

The meeting was called to order at 5:30pm. The Agenda for this meeting was approved as well as the minutes of the 2009 Annual General Meeting held in February 2009.

The President welcomed all present and gave a brief summary of the activities of this year. The 2009 hunting season brought with it no extraordinary incidents. He praised the work of the team this year especially Allan Park, head deerkeeper.

Copies of the financial statements for the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 were distributed to those present by the Treasurer, reviewed and accepted. Sales of antlers (to artists, especially Dandi Maestre) and fundraising activities netted more money than expected. Purchase of horse trailer and additional fencing materials made possible because of this increase in revenue. Increase in bank fees caused by having to purchase cheques. A Budget for 2010 was presented indicating anticipated new revenue of $4185(excluding surplus) and expenses of approx $4715.The financial statements and budget were reviewed. A motion was made by Aida Sulcs, seconded by Don Murphy that these reports be accepted and approved by unanimous vote.

All offices were declared vacant. The following were nominated to serve as officers in 2010:
President: Don Murphy, Secretary: Wendy Workman, Treasurer: Jane McDonald
The above nominations were approved by unanimous vote.

The Head Deer Keeper, Allan Park, thanked the board members (security, sign making, winter water heating) as well as Emerald Murphy and Bruce Burt for their time, hay donations and companionship. He reported the occurrences leading up to KoKo’s death. A post mortem examination done by the Animal Health Lab, University of Guelph (Kemptville) indicated a chronic abscess in his jaw that led to emaciation and his death. The veterinarian who did the exam estimated KoKo’s age to be 10 years, about 2 years older than we had believed. Allan shared some of his observations and memories of KoKo, one of the most recognizable and loved of our bucks. Dr. Brian Willows had inspected the herd on December 29, 2009 and found the remaining 10 bucks to be in excellent “awesome' condition. Communications had been received from people near Lake Simcoe who are caring for a wild escaped fallow deer buck and from a reporter in Waterford concerning 12 fallow deer bucks living on 17 acres, descendants of a herd there since 1949. Female deer had been killed by coyotes and the township wants to bring in new females to continue the herd. However, in the past this herd was regularly “culled”. We had expressed our concern about this and recommended an approach similar to that of the Fallow Deer Reserve, i.e. let the males live until death occurs naturally.

Future plans, considerations:


Veterinary care: Lorraine recommended testing the deer’s scat for the presence of worms/parasites before any chemical treatment is administered. It may not be necessary. All agreed this was the best approach.

Shelter/squeeze: A discussion took place about creating an additional paddock adding approximately ½ acre to the enclosure for the purpose of isolating an injured or unhealthy animal or the introduction of a new animal. The former stable of the barn can be considered for a squeeze in order to examine or test animals and would also provide the bucks with additional shelter.

Rescuing/introducing additional fallow deer bucks: A good discussion took place about the future, purpose of the Fallow Deer Reserve. It was generally agreed that introducing a new animal to the herd could be problematic and that each situation be considered carefully. Three conditions would need to be met before a new animal could be accepted.

1) the buck would need to pass all health tests in order to prevent introducing disease to our herd
2) the buck would need to be in a moveable state, i.e. having recently lost antlers or very small regrowth
3) the buck would need to 3 years of age or less so that his chances of being accepted into the herd would be good

The meeting was adjourned at 7:15pm.

Sad news

We are very sorry to report that KoKo, our only black fallow buck, died on Friday, January 8, 2010.

In December we noticed that he was drooling after eating and one of his cheeks was swollen. Nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. He was eating hay, treats and we had observed him up on his hind feed reaching for some tender cedar bits. The other deer were not bullying him or altering their behaviour towards him in any way as we had observed when George had an injured leg several years ago.

Our vet, Dr. Brian Willows of Thousand Islands Veterinary Services, examined KoKo on December 29, 2009. An abscessed tooth was suspected or perhaps "lumpy jaw". We could have tranquilized him to examine the mouth, but that procedure is not without danger especially in very cold weather. So, we began to give him antibiotics twice daily by feeding him a paste embedded in an apple and this was to be given for 14 days. If nothing changed, we would then consider tranquilizing. We noticed some weight loss but nothing extreme and thought it was related to the meds.

On Friday morning Allan fed KoKo his meds and watched him eat a bit of hay and then disappear into the woods. He seemed to be steady on his feet but oddly vocalized a bit making some grunts as he left the feeding area. In the afternoon there was no sign of him. Allan searched for over an hour and found him in a cedar grove. There were no signs of trauma. His front legs were still folded. It appears that he had collapsed and died suddenly trying to get up.

Dr. Willows was just as surprised as we were about KoKo's sudden death. We took the body to the Animal Health Lab at the University of Guelph in Kemptville for a post mortem examination.The preliminary report from the Lab indicates he was suffering from chronic mandibular osteomyelitis, tooth abscess and emaciation. The infection of his mouth had moved into the jaw and bones and was a chronic condition. Although we observed him eating and drinking, he was unable to chew his feed and was unable to create fat stores. This resulted in mild mass atrophy. The weight loss was hard to notice because of the thickness of his winter coat.

As someone has suggested, wild animals often keep their weakness hidden to protect them from predators or loss of status, and it appears that KoKo was a master at this. Or else, he was just as unaware of the seriousness of his plight as we were. In any event, we take some comfort that he did not suffer for very long, if at all.

The only good news is there appears to be no infectious disease which would harm the other members of the herd who are doing well. A sample of his brain tissue was sent for testing to ensure there was no rabies or chronic wasting disease.

We asked the Lab to determine KoKo's age and it was 10 years, about 2 years older than we thought. As you know we had no records of any of the deer rescued from the farm where they were born. When Wendy and Don bought the whole herd in 2005, KoKo had a large abscess on his flank. The farmer recommended euthanization, a recommendation that was not followed. Also earlier this year, he caught his antlers on the fence and was rescued once again.

He was a true survivor, well-loved by all who visited him. His dark coat made him easy for kids to identify and he trusted people enough to eat from their hands.

We miss him very much and wish we could have understood how ill he was. The knowledge we have gained from his loss will help us to keep his brothers healthy and strong.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

KoKo's Christmas wish

May your antlers never be entangled in a fence
May your brothers always be there beside you
May your path be one of peace and free of ice
May your blessings be many
May your hay always be sweet

Calendars 2010 are ready!

Our 2010 desktop calendars are ready. For only $20 you receive calendar and an income tax receipt for $10 as we are a registered Canadian charity.

The handy coiled calendars have 13 different photos of our bucks and indicate important dates in 2010 and for the Reserve. A great gift.

To order, send cheque or money order for $20 Canadian dollars per calendar, payable to Fallow Deer Reserve, c/o 204 Simmons Road RR2, Odessa ON K0H 2H0 Canada.

We appreciate your support!

How to feed a fallow deer

Dear Karen,

Thanks for your email. You don’t mention where you are but we are guessing in New England somewhere? We were happy to hear that you have more than one animal. As you know fallow deer are herd animals, so we are always sorry to hear about a lone animal.

Our deer have pasture from April till November and are fed hay in the winter months.

We do not recommend bread as it can ferment in the stomach and you have no way of knowing how much yeast, sugar, etc. is contained in one loaf or another.

We feed our deer whole corn (about 2 cups each) once a week as well as carrots and apples. They will also eat barley and oats in the winter. We have heard of their liking pumpkin but we haven’t tried it. After eating corn the bucks become very energized and will push and shove each other, so it is best for the keeper to stay out of their way. They will also push and shove to get to the corn.

Apparently there is a special enzyme that the deer have to develop in order to digest corn completely. So introduce the corn gradually in small amounts once a week working up to the 2 cups. Also spread it out in small separate piles on the ground, so that each buck gets a small amount. They love corn and will eat every kernel

At first we did hand feed some of the bucks. However, now we try very hard not to hand feed and to put all food on the ground. If the deer associate your hands or body only with food, they can become aggressive when wanting food and go for your hands/body with their heads. This not fun when they have a full set of antlers and you do not. This is especially true of fallow deer bucks during mating season (fall/early winter) but it can happen at any time. Generally the bucks will not eat too much during the rut as their throats swell up, but this does not mean they are not hungry or potentially aggressive.

Please do not consider castrating the bucks if they are over 3 months of age as this causes them disfigurement and pain. Some people believe this is a good way to curb aggression. It is better to respect their wildness and learn how to work around it. Even if these animals came from a farm, they are not domesticated, in our opinion, and people have been injured by not understanding this, especially during the rut or when the animals are under stress when being moved.

We also supplement their diets with a block of blue salt and a mineral lick (18 protein). The mineral lick is always available to them but is used most as the antlers are growing from April to August. The licks are always placed near water. Each animal drinks about 1.5 litres of water per day.

Hope this helps. Please let us know if there is any other information you need. Most of initial information came from the book, Fallow Deer, written by Norma Chapman and her husband last updated in the 1990s. You may find a copy online.

Jane McDonald & Allan Park, Deer keepers

All Grown Up

Here's a photo of Spike taken today -- one of two young bucks who we guessed were about 2 years of age when they became part of the Fallow Deer Reserve herd. He has certainly grown up and is entering his prime. If you check out the photos of Spike from 2006 you will see how fallow deer bucks mature, how antlers and body change and grow. This photo also gives you a good idea of how the rut changes a buck's appearance. Everything bulks up!

Blog Action Day

We are happy to participate in today's worldwide Blog Action Day for Climate Change by posting this entry and directing you to the website of the organizers.

http://www.blogactionday.org