Video: Deer Swimming To Staten Island

What would you do to escape New Jersey? The deer in that state seem to be swimming their way to Staten Island. One boat's captain recently caught two in action, and the SI Advance tells us, "they are fleeing Jersey and swimming across the Arthur Kill." Of course, the ones with more refined taste set their sights on Governors Island.

Deer swimming across the Arthur Kill to Staten Island

Last year, a buck first spotted in Jersey City ended up on Governors Island. And back in 2007, the state DEC believed that Staten Island's 40 deer all originated from NJ.

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By Jen Carlson in News on May 10, 2010 4:29 PM

Comments [rss]

robingee

It's amazing they can swim with those spindly legs, that it propels them forward and they don't get exhausted.

famdoc

I drive across Staten Island several times a month. About two years ago, I noticed for the first time "Deer Crossing" signs on the Staten Island Expwy., near the Fresh Kills landfill site. It baffled me how deer could get to Staten Island, and it wasn't until a piece in the Times a few months ago that I learned they could swim across from NJ. This video is incredible: those deer are graceful swimmers. I've yet to see a live (or dead) deer on SI, however. Since Lyme Disease is highly endemic in Monmouth County and nearby areas of NJ, residents should be concerned about it spreading to Staten Island, as well.