Bella the deer has returned to Juniper, N.B. after being relocated by wildlife officials.
The deer has been a frequent visitor in Linda Ouellet’s backyard for more than six years.
“She’s like a dog,” says Ouellet. “She’s a pet. She’s a mascot.”
Bella may live in the wild, but Ouellet and others says she’s tame. And, the doe has developed quite the following.
“Yesterday I arrived from my grocery shopping and my driveway was full of people to come to see Bella,” she says. “We had people from Moncton, we had people from Fredericton."
Not everyone, however, has been happy with Bella’s fame. She’s devoured gardens and frightened parents with small children.
In June, New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources relocated Bella, driving her about 40 kilometres away.
But Bella recently found her way home.
"She must follow four-wheelers or people working along the railroad track,” says Ouellet.
Resident Patty Hudson welcomes Bella’s return, but fears what will happen to her next.
“The people who have lived with Bella for five years deserve to be consulted,” she says. “You don't just show up on a person's property and take away what's been living with them for five years."
Ouellet says if Bella can’t stay in Juniper, she wants the animal cared for.
“Place her in a pet zoo or some place that she will be well taken care of to finish her days, because she's not a regular deer."
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell.
