Residents of Okotoks' Sheep River community woke up to a rather unpleasant sight Thursday morning.
Tracy Morris, who lives on the corner of Sheep River Bay and Sheep River Crescent, said she opened her blinds to see what appeared to be a dead and mangled animal on her lawn, about two metres off the street.
"It's basically half gone so the head is there, and the front part of the body and then the back part is just gone," she said of the remains, which turned out to be that of a deer.
Though she arrived home in the dark the night before, Morris said she didn't notice anything out of place, but because the animal was along the side of her property, it's possible she missed it.
It's unclear what happened to leave the deer in such a state.
"If it was coyotes, we didn't hear anything – our bedroom is on the other side of the house," said Morris. "Someone suggested, was it hit by a car and thrown into our yard? That's a possibility too.
"But one of the photos we took there is sort of an area that looks like maybe it was dragged and the snow was quite trampled down and stuff."
Sightings of wild animals are not uncommon in Okotoks. On Feb. 8, the Town confirmed reports of a cougar roaming in Sheep River Cove.
The Morrises made calls to Alberta Fish and Wildlife and the Town to deal with the issue.
