"Deer are very adaptable animals," said Ranta. "In the 1800s, the pioneering attitude was deer were food and food was to be gathered. But as times changed and the habitats changed, deer have learned to live in and around people."

Ranta said young fawns born in an urban environment learn from their mothers about where to live and how to survive.  It's a "learned and adaptive behavior" that gets ingrained over time, he said. 

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