Deer crashes into children's gymnastics center
GREENSBORO — The late arrival to the children’s gymnastics class looked a little different than the toddlers playing on the mats inside: It had hooves and antlers and came bounding in through a plate glass window.
The young buck thrashed and then lounged around the suburban shopping center storefront for more than a half-hour Wednesday morning until animal control officers managed to lasso it.
In the end, no one was hurt — and even the buck emerged relatively unscathed, breaking an antler and suffering a few cuts. He was released near the Lake Brandt dam later in the day.
That didn’t mean employees at the Little Gym on Battleground Avenue weren’t more than a little surprised.
“I thought a car had run into the building,” said Elinor Angier, an instructor. “I didn’t believe my eyes.”
She and others hustled to make sure the agitated deer stayed in the front room, where classes hadn’t begun for the day.
Glass windows were all that separated the room from the main gym area, where toddlers and their parents were in class. A father grabbed tumbling mats and held them against the window, and the kids sneaked out the back.
While employees and parents were a little rattled, the kids, all younger than 2, stayed cool.
“We just entertained them with bubbles and balls,” said instructor Kim Wenke.
The deer, on the other hand, was none too happy. The animal crashed against walls before finally calming down.
While they don’t typically browse around a shopping center, deer aren’t rare in the area, said Paul Loflin, an animal control officer.
“There are all kinds of animals in the city,” he said.
With holiday sales yet to begin, the animal’s shopping trip might have seemed mystifying, but Loflin had a ready explanation.
“Mating season,” he said. “He probably saw himself in the glass.”
Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com
Accompanying Photos
Photo Caption: Animal control officer Paul Loflin arrives on the scene at Little Gym, a children's gymnastics business at 3369 Battleground Ave., to rescue a deer.
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