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Couple Facing Jail Time For Rescuing Fawn
ABC News' Gio Benitez, Mosheh Gains and Emily Stanitz report:
Should an Indiana couple go to jail for saving Bambi?
That's the question surrounding the case of Jeff and Jennifer Counceller, who rescued an injured fawn and nursed it back to health at their Connersville, Ind., home. The couple now faces the possibility of jail time and fines after state officials charged them with a misdemeanor for harboring the animal.
Jeff Counceller, a police officer in Connersville, and his wife were charged with unlawful possession of a deer, a misdemeanor that punished to its fullest extent could put the Councellers in jail for up to 60 days and cost them up to $2,000 in fines.
(ABC News) The couple rescued the deer more than two years ago after finding it on their neighbor's porch. The Councellers said the deer had sustained injuries, and they wanted to nurse it back to health.
"I could feel all of the open wounds all along her back side and she wouldn't stand up," Jennifer Counceller told ABC News.
They brought the deer home and named her Little Orphan Dani.
The Councellers said an Indiana Conservation Officer stopped by their home and discovered the deer this past summer. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources wanted to euthanize Dani, saying she might be dangerous and a threat to people.
"I was devastated. I spent a year and several months nursing her into adulthood, getting to the point where she was able to go out on her own," Counceller said.
On the day Dani was to be put down, the Councellers said she inexplicably escaped from their backyard. Even though Dani disappeared back into the wild, the Councellers' legal problems didn't go with the fawn.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said it couldn't comment on pending litigation but that it did discourage people from taking in injured wildlife. This case could go to court next month, and if charges aren't dropped, it will be left for a jury to decide whether the Councellers broke the law.
"No matter what the law is, we did what was right for the animal," Counceller said.
Meanwhile, the story has caused uproar on the Internet. A Facebook support page has more than 6,400 "Likes" in support of the couple. An online petition to drop the charges already has more than 3,800 signatures.
Rick on Change.org wrote, "An act of humanity should not be rewarded with a sentence."
Michelle on Facebook wrote, "They are being punished for having compassion and showing kindness."
The Councellers' case could go to court next month.
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/police-officer-wife-could-face-jail-time-saving-130022946--abc-news-topstories.html
Okay, while what they did is sweet and kind and all...there ARE laws about this kind of thing! As a police officer, he of ALL people is aware of that. This is why states have game commissions. Also, unless one of them was a vet, they had no place playing Bambi doctor.
Should they go to jail? No. But they SHOULD face stuff penalties, IMO. As a police office, he has a duty to be a role model when it comes to abiding by the laws and rules that are in place, even if he didn't agree with them.
"On the day Dani was to be put down, the Councellers said she inexplicably escaped from their backyard."
And very likely, she is dead, after all that time beiong raised with people, she probably lost a lot of her ability to survive in the wild on her own. This is why agencies like the game commission need notified, so they can handle the situation accordingly. The people were outraged that they would decide to put her down (maybe extreme, I don't know, I'm NOT a wildlife expert)...but THEY created this situation...they should be mad at themselves.
In PA, a person isn't allowed to put an animal down who is suffering (like after being hit)...the game commission MUST be notified (or the police do it and then call them).
Should an Indiana couple go to jail for saving Bambi?
That's the question surrounding the case of Jeff and Jennifer Counceller, who rescued an injured fawn and nursed it back to health at their Connersville, Ind., home. The couple now faces the possibility of jail time and fines after state officials charged them with a misdemeanor for harboring the animal.
Jeff Counceller, a police officer in Connersville, and his wife were charged with unlawful possession of a deer, a misdemeanor that punished to its fullest extent could put the Councellers in jail for up to 60 days and cost them up to $2,000 in fines.
(ABC News) The couple rescued the deer more than two years ago after finding it on their neighbor's porch. The Councellers said the deer had sustained injuries, and they wanted to nurse it back to health.
"I could feel all of the open wounds all along her back side and she wouldn't stand up," Jennifer Counceller told ABC News.
They brought the deer home and named her Little Orphan Dani.
The Councellers said an Indiana Conservation Officer stopped by their home and discovered the deer this past summer. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources wanted to euthanize Dani, saying she might be dangerous and a threat to people.
"I was devastated. I spent a year and several months nursing her into adulthood, getting to the point where she was able to go out on her own," Counceller said.
On the day Dani was to be put down, the Councellers said she inexplicably escaped from their backyard. Even though Dani disappeared back into the wild, the Councellers' legal problems didn't go with the fawn.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said it couldn't comment on pending litigation but that it did discourage people from taking in injured wildlife. This case could go to court next month, and if charges aren't dropped, it will be left for a jury to decide whether the Councellers broke the law.
"No matter what the law is, we did what was right for the animal," Counceller said.
Meanwhile, the story has caused uproar on the Internet. A Facebook support page has more than 6,400 "Likes" in support of the couple. An online petition to drop the charges already has more than 3,800 signatures.
Rick on Change.org wrote, "An act of humanity should not be rewarded with a sentence."
Michelle on Facebook wrote, "They are being punished for having compassion and showing kindness."
The Councellers' case could go to court next month.
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/police-officer-wife-could-face-jail-time-saving-130022946--abc-news-topstories.html
Okay, while what they did is sweet and kind and all...there ARE laws about this kind of thing! As a police officer, he of ALL people is aware of that. This is why states have game commissions. Also, unless one of them was a vet, they had no place playing Bambi doctor.
Should they go to jail? No. But they SHOULD face stuff penalties, IMO. As a police office, he has a duty to be a role model when it comes to abiding by the laws and rules that are in place, even if he didn't agree with them.
"On the day Dani was to be put down, the Councellers said she inexplicably escaped from their backyard."
And very likely, she is dead, after all that time beiong raised with people, she probably lost a lot of her ability to survive in the wild on her own. This is why agencies like the game commission need notified, so they can handle the situation accordingly. The people were outraged that they would decide to put her down (maybe extreme, I don't know, I'm NOT a wildlife expert)...but THEY created this situation...they should be mad at themselves.
In PA, a person isn't allowed to put an animal down who is suffering (like after being hit)...the game commission MUST be notified (or the police do it and then call them).
"No good deed goes unpunished."
I'm as fond of venison as the next omnivore but I don't think stress toxins make for good eating. I would either help the animal or put it down and worry about laws and the "game commission" later. I hope the idiot who wrote that blog is never called on to make a decision that requires empathy or humanity.
I'm as fond of venison as the next omnivore but I don't think stress toxins make for good eating. I would either help the animal or put it down and worry about laws and the "game commission" later. I hope the idiot who wrote that blog is never called on to make a decision that requires empathy or humanity.
I don't know. I can't fault someone for trying to save Bambi. They do seem to have attached to bambi though and maybe kept him a little too long tied to the patio???
WOW! I agree...Damn....
LOL
LMAO!!!!!!!! Glass, that's funny!
"Notify the proper authorities." or better yet, just eat the damned thing!
.
.
I can totally appreciate someone who has an animals best interest in mind. However, that kind of care should be left to the professionals.
In fact, he probably should be more concerned with the laws, since he is a cop and all., .
Absolutely. And what bothers me is that they are trying to get sympathy for being in trouble. Sure, they were trying to help the deer, but again, I'm SURE he is familiar with the laws. Just sends the wrong message to be trying to get out of any trouble, IMO.
Just like it would be illegal to break into someone's home. Say you had a elderly neighbor that you hadn't seen in a day or two, and were worried about them. You decide to bust the door in (or a window) and go searching through the house. Should you not get in trouble because your heart was in the right place? No! Notify the proper authorities.
Absolutely. And what bothers me is that they are trying to get sympathy for being in trouble. Sure, they were trying to help the deer, but again, I'm SURE he is familiar with the laws. Just sends the wrong message to be trying to get out of any trouble, IMO.
Just like it would be illegal to break into someone's home. Say you had a elderly neighbor that you hadn't seen in a day or two, and were worried about them. You decide to bust the door in (or a window) and go searching through the house. Should you not get in trouble because your heart was in the right place? No! Notify the proper authorities.
Yup. Cop boy is not a vet and should not be practicing veterinary medicine. In fact, he probably should be more concerned with the laws, since he is a cop and all.,
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