NJ is prosecuting woman for saving an orphaned baby deer

⚖️ NJ woman rescued and raised orphaned deer after finding its dead mother

⚖️ State law bans keeping deer as pets, sparking ongoing court battle

⚖️ Legal fight continues even after deer escaped, with costs piling up

LAWRENCE (Mercer) — A township woman who acted fast to save an orphaned deer years ago is embroiled in a court battle with local and state officials.

In 2019, Cammy Lowe found a fawn, alongside its dead mother deer in a wooded area.

Lowe, who runs TLC Country Stables in the Lawrenceville area, has said she called around to animal rescues, but found no resources.

So she took in the baby animal, named him Rudy, and nursed him to be a full-grown deer.

NJ wildlife laws spark legal fight over rescued deer

Five years later, someone trespassed onto the property and into a barn, taking a photo of the deer, and lodging a formal complaint, according to Lowe’s attorney, John W. Hartmann.

Under state regulations, deer are considered a “Potentially Dangerous Wildlife Species,” and therefore illegal to keep as pets.

That classification is for exotic mammals, birds, reptiles or amphibians, or non-game species which, “in the opinion of the Division, is capable of inflicting serious or fatal injuries or which has the potential to become an agricultural pest, or a menace to the public health, or indigenous wildlife populations.”

Along with deer, the restrictions include: ground squirrels, prairie dogs, alligators, crocodiles, bears, monkeys, ring-necked parakeets, non-domestic cats or dogs, vipers and cobras.

A trial in Lawrence Municipal Court was set to get underway on Wednesday.

Complaint triggers court case years after rescue

“The case is still ongoing, and the legal bills are piling up. Rudy is no longer with me—he escaped the barn some time ago —but I am still facing the consequences of trying to save his life,” Lowe said in a GoFundMe that has raised about $11,000 for her legal expenses.

Officials with the Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the Division of Fish and Wildlife, declined to comment on ongoing litigation.

"It is illegal to take any animal from the wild. If you see a sick, injured, or possibly orphaned wild animal, please contact a Wildlife Rehabilitator," according to the state DEP website.

Lowe's farm spans roughly 30 acres on Van Kirk Road in Lawrence Township.

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