Oh deer, unusual visitors call at Newcastle home

Oh deer, unusual visitors call at Newcastle home

29 July 2020

LOOK who’s called to visit?

These two deer — believed to be a mother and her fawn — were caught on security cameras last Saturday morning outside a house on the Tollymore Road, Newcastle.

The deer activated the outside lights when they strolled into the driveway of Gregory Hanna’s home at around 6.30am.

Mr Hanna said he was sad to have missed the sight of the deer as he was still asleep at the time.

“I’m sorry to have missed it but there have been some deer here before and even an odd squirrel and rabbit at the bottom of the garden,” he said.

“I only realised they had been when I checked the security camera and it caught them as they were walking in and then the security light came on and made them walk out again. It was lovely to see them but I just wish they had come during the day when I was up.”

Mr Hanna said he believed that the deer had strayed from Tollymore Forest Park.

When his daughter, Orla Gribben, posted the video on Facebook over the weekend, several other local people commented that they had seen the pair of deer, and perhaps others around Meadowvale and along Middle Tollymore Road.

While some locals complained that deer has been helping themselves to flowers and plants in their garden, one householder said she did not mind if they helped themselves to the lot but would have preferred if they had eaten the weeds.