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A Sad Story

July 10, 2010

I usually post photographs of the things I find beautiful and attractive in nature, and I hope they tell a story to the people who see them. This post is, however, is about the not so attractive side of the natural world around us. I happened upon this deer mid-morning on June 22. It was standing in the salt water of the Lewes/Rehoboth Canal, emaciated and infested with blood sucking insects all over its ears. It was sad to see and I have waited a few weeks before posting the photos. But it reminds us of the constant struggle animals have daily to find sufficient food and fresh water to get through this day to the next. We have had several weeks of hot dry weather here in Sussex County, Delaware and many animals, I’m sure, have had difficulty finding fresh water sources. This deer is seen drinking salt water from the canal. I’m not a deer expert but to me this looks like a very desperate measure to satisfy what must be a life threatening thirst. This deer looks like it had very little reserve to go on, but when it left the water to go back onto land it did so with a muscular bound and it looked back over its shoulder from the high shore.

Deer in LR Canal. Kevin in Gallery 6.22.1

Deer in LR Canal. Kevin in Gallery 6.22

Deer in LR Canal. Kevin in Gallery 6.22.2

Deer in LR Canal. Kevin in Gallery 6.22.3

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    4 Comments

  • Eli July 11, 2010
    Reply

    🙁

  • Barbara Bigelow September 24, 2010
    Reply

    ‘Tis the cycle of life. We are all connected and affected by one another on this beautiful planet. The photos are truthful and beautiful.

  • Steve January 8, 2012
    Reply

    Wondering if one could carry around some sort of insect fogger to mist these infested animals should they show themselves. Poor thing.

  • Steve January 8, 2012
    Reply

    A deer-friendly fogger, that is.

  • Leave a Reply to Steve Cancel