Disoriented deer wanders into Kentucky school, prompting warning from sheriff

Something strange is happening with deer in Graves County, Kentucky, and local authorities are taking notice.

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The Graves County Sheriff's Office has responded to two separate incidents in the past two weeks involving deer behaving oddly- stumbling around disoriented, getting too close to people, and in one case, actually wandering into a school building.

The first incident happened on September 29th along Kentucky Highway 80 just east of Mayfield, where a deer was spotted acting strangely near a business. According to Sheriff Jon Hayden, the animal was collected by a Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist for testing.

Then Wednesday, around noon, another deer caught the agency's attention- and not in a good way. The animal was first reported acting unusually near Central Elementary School on Kentucky Highway 121 North in Mayfield. But things took an unexpected turn when the deer actually made its way inside the school building. Fortunately, students were away on fall break, so no one was in danger.

Sheriff's deputies and a Kentucky State Police trooper worked together to corral the confused animal and get it back outside. The deer was later euthanized and removed from the property.

What's striking about both incidents is how the deer were behaving. Sheriff Hayden noted that neither animal acted aggressively- instead, they appeared "confused, dazed" and seemed to be wandering aimlessly.

The latest incident has been reported to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife for review. While officials haven't speculated on what might be causing this unusual behavior, such symptoms in deer can sometimes be associated with diseases like chronic wasting disease or other neurological conditions.

For now, Graves County residents are being advised to keep their distance if they spot deer acting strangely and to report any sightings to local authorities.

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