The Town of Okotoks is asking students to be mindful of local wildlife when they're walking to and from school.

A large amount of the town's deer population consists of doe and their fawn that may show aggression when people get close.

Christa Michailuck, parks manager for the Town, says residents should be respectful of their space.

"Keep as much distance as you can, if you see a doe and there's no chance to walk by her without passing close by then either wait for her to move on or find an alternate route to get to where you're going."

She says an increase in deer incidents has sparked the safety reminder.

"There's been more reports of aggressive deer just in the last couple years than I recall there ever being before. I don't know if it's the same does, perhaps they're getting too accustomed to their urban environment and are displaying that behaviour or if it's new deer but it does seem to be more prevalent in the last couple years."

Michailuck adds if someone is being chased by an aggressive deer they should call 911 and report the incident to Fish and Wildlife as well as Okotoks Parks.

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