3 endangered miniature deer found hog-tied and stuffed into a Hyundai, police say

Two South Florida men accused of hog-tying three endangered Key deer, state and national wildlife officials said Monday.

What Monroe Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Hopp found after pulling the men over at mile marker 28 bayside on Little Torch Key around 1:30 a.m. Sunday were two doe in the back seat of a four-door Hyundai and a buck in the trunk, according to his report.

Erik Acosta Damas, 18, of Miami Gardens and Tumani Anthony Younge, 23, of Tamarac had been pulled over for having a tail light out.

The adult deer had been tied up with twine after being captured on Big Pine Key, National Key Deer Refuge Manager Dan Clark said. They grow to about the size of a large dog, are found only in the Florida Keys and become stressed easily, especially if captured, Clark said. The population of 600 to 800 deer is federally protected.

“When you’re an 80-pound wild animal and tied up and thrown in the back of a car, you might thrash around a bit,” Clark said of the deer, which had some cuts and bruises but were released on Little Torch Key by officers with the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The deer population in the Keys is estimated at 600 to 800.

Clark said the two doe ran into the woods and the buck was slow but will be observed for a few weeks in the wild by Fish and Wildlife officers. They were released on Little Torch Key to prevent stress that would result from being transported back to Big Pine Key.

Damas and Younge each received the same 12 charges: Three felony counts of wounding a protected species; three misdemeanor counts for taking deer out of season; three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty; and three misdemeanor FWC charges for illegal possession or taking of deer. The case is now with the FWC, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Deputy Becky Herrin. The men could be federally charged as well, Clark said.

They were booked into the county jail on Stock Island with bond set at $57,000 each. The felonies are punishable by up to up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $5,000, said FWC spokesman Officer Robert Dube.

They also face the possibility of being federally charged.

This story was originally published July 3, 2017 at 2:38 PM with the headline "3 endangered miniature deer found hog-tied and stuffed into a Hyundai, police say."