Harlem deer dies amid rescue attempt

ALBANY - A Harlem deer that captivated the city died Friday afternoon amid a would-be rescue attempt by the state.

New York City officials said the deer died as the state Department of Environmental Conservation sought to transport it from a city shelter to upstate.

"Sad news: While under the stress of captivity & while awaiting potential transport upstate by state DEC, the Harlem deer has died," Eric Philips, a spokesman for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, wrote on Twitter.

The white-tailed deer with one antler drew crowds in recent weeks in Jackie Robinson Park, but it strayed from the park and ended up in a nearby housing complex.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and de Blasio then fought over the deer's fate.

De Blasio's office said the deer would need to be euthanized, saying it was “the only humane and safe recourse.”

That's when Cuomo stepped in.

Late Thursday, his office said it would direct the state Department of Environmental Conservation to find alternatives to killing the deer, saying it will "offer assistance to the city to transport and find a new habitat for it immediately."

On WNYC radio Friday morning, de Blasio warned against trying to move the deer.

"It creates all sorts of extended pain and usually leads to death," he said.

But by noon Friday, even as the city debated the deer's future, the DEC officially intervened.

The DEC noted the deer died while still in the city's possession.

“We offered yesterday to take possession of the deer and transport it to a suitable habitat," the DEC said. "The city did not accept our offer until just before noon, and while we were arriving on scene the deer died in the city’s possession.”

The attempt was risky, and even DEC's own policy warns against relocating deer.

For one, it requires a permit, but the DEC policy said it doesn't issue the permits "because acceptable release sites are not available and because the poor chances for deer survival do not warrant the risks."

The fight between the city and state might have seemed bizarre, but it's nothing new for the Democratic rivals in New York who have dueled over policy and politics — and now a deer.

JSpector@Gannett.com

Joseph Spector is chief of USA TODAY Network's Albany Bureau.