Only in Oregon...
MOLALLA, Ore. - Two deer being kept as family pets on a five acre farm have been seized by the state.
Despite the fact that both deer are very healthy, officials say they may have to euthanize one of them because of its deformed back legs.
"She's going to be gone. They're taking Snowball, they're going to take her," said owner Francis Mantei.
The Mantei family noticed Snowball five years ago as they drove their kids to the bus stop.
She was a baby then, with deformed back legs, and all alone.
The family took her in, took her to the vet, and put her legs in casts which corrected the problem.
"She lived in my house," said Mantei.
Now Snowball lives in an enclosure on the family's five acres along with her offspring Bucky, and other animals.
But under state law both deer belong to all Oregonians and can not be kept as pets.
The state wants them set free.
State workers arrived Wednesday morning to seize the animals.
"I can see if she wasn't taken care of, if she wasn't fed, if she wasn't ... she's spoiled rotten. She has her name on the house. After all that time and effort to save her. I mean I could go shoot one ... I could shoot one, if I wanted. But, I can't help one ... and I uuurgh. It breaks my heart," Francis said.
Francis says she's mostly concerned about the effect it will have on her young daughter.
The state has taken the deer from her farm and moved them to an undisclosed location.
Now, they will determine if the deer are able to live in the wild, if they should be moved to a licensed game preserve, or be put down.
The state says the only thing that is certain, the deer won't be returning to the Mantei farm
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