Date: Fri 02-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Scott-Mas-white-deer-Evans

Full Text:

Wayward White Deer Finds A Home In Sandy Hook

(with photo)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

Sebastian sat quietly in his pen this week, contentedly munching dark green

grass and orange carrots, bathed in the warm yellow light of a springtime sun

shining brightly in the blue western sky.

Sebastian, a fallow deer, who's also known as Whitey, is now living peacefully

on an estate in Sandy Hook. All his needs are being addressed and fulfilled --

food, shelter and health care.

Life hadn't been so simple for the deer in the preceding weeks.

The cream-colored deer, which apparently had been domesticated by someone,

became separated from its unknown owner late last year and began to roam the

New Milford countryside, having many encounters with the residents there.

Being a friendly deer, Sebastian tended to approach people when he wanted

food. But his encounters with humans proved problematic in a couple of cases.

And it seemed as if he might have to be destroyed to protect the public.

When Scott Mas heard of Sebastian's plight, he volunteered to provide the deer

with a new home at Les Vents, a Mediterranean-style estate in Sandy Hook where

he and Dr Donald Evans reside.

Mr Mas, a gamekeeper, had happened to read about the deer in a newspaper

article.

He called New Milford's animal control officer to make arrangements to have

the deer transported to Sandy Hook last week from temporary quarters in

Stamford where it was being held for its own safety.

When Mr Mas realized that the deer might be euthanized due to his brushes with

humans, he volunteered to take the deer. "I just wanted to save its life," he

said.

"I knew I could take care of him. I knew he'd be happy here. He's not your

typical wild animal," Mr Mas noted. "You could tell right away it was not a

wild deer...He's a very tame deer."

Sebastian's unknown former owner may have moved from the New Milford area, or

simply may not have wanted to take back the deer after its escape and ensuing

notoriety, Mr Mas surmised.

"He was homeless. He was an animal that was literally domesticated and didn't

seem to adapt to the wild life," Mr Mas said. "He's here. He has a home. He

has a life style he was used to. He's really back to a home now."

While such a deer may live to be 15 in the wild, Sebastian could live to be 20

in captivity, according to Mr Mas. "He's going to have a long life, longer

than they usually have," he said.

Sebastian joins other deer on the rural estate.

Scott Mas, a state-registered game breeder, keeps a small herd of deer. The

rare oriental Sika deer live in a large impoundment on the 20-acre property.

Each of the sleek animals has a name.

A member of the North American Deer Farmers Association, Mr Mas said the deer

are instrumental in keeping down excess brush on the property. They are

provided with deer feed, plus hay, alfalfa and cut tree branches.

While Mr Mas doesn't know how well Sebastian will adapt to eating cut tree

branches, he does know the fallow deer has shown a fondness for hay. He

doesn't seem to care for alfalfa, though.

Citing the various hazards that deer face in the wild, including traffic, Mr

Mas said "I wouldn't let my (Sika) deer go. I wouldn't let (Sebastian) go

either."

"He's kind of thin for my standards," the gamekeeper said of Sebastian's

girth. Under proper care at the estate, Sebastian will grow both whiter and

rounder, he said.

A member of the American Pheasant and Wildfowl Society, Scott Mas also has a

menagerie of brilliantly colored ornamental birds with vivid plumage in a

spacious aviary on the estate.