The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is asking residents in the Foster area of Mathews to be on the lookout for animals that appear to have neurological issues, which could be a sign of lead poisoning.
Todd Engelmeyer, district biologist for DWR’s Region 1 Office, said he had to euthanize a deer last fall that had been reported to him by local resident Kelli Thompson. She had called and said it was clear there was something very wrong with the doe. A video she took of the deer shows it standing in place for several moments, bobbing its head from side to side, before beginning to walk and stumbling from side to side. It disappears under a deck, where sounds of it crashing into something can be heard.
Engelmeyer said when he arrived, the deer didn’t appear normal, although its body was not in terrible shape other than being “a little emaciated.” It was lying on its side in the marsh with very labored breathing, he said, and it wasn’t responsive to stimuli.
After he euthanized th...