Motorists in the Sage Mountain area this week were startled to see an unexpected visitor trotting down the road, after it seemingly entered the territory without a passport, work permit or belonger’s card.
“I was just driving up toward the junction of Sage Mountain, and there he was on the side of the road,” J.C. Pierce said. “He was pretty tranquil.”
The visitor appeared to be a white-tailed deer of the kind found in the United States Virgin Islands — white tail, antlers and all — and experts said it’s quite possible it simply swam across the channel from St. John to Tortola.
“It’s perfectly feasible,” said Rafe Boulon, the chief of resource management for Virgin Islands National Park on St. John. “We’ve noticed them for many years swimming between St. Thomas and St. John, through some very strong currents. They’re very good swimmers.”
See the Oct. 13, 2011 edition for full coverage.