2 Deers Actually Hugging Each Other? Here Is Your Proof

Thanks to the technology that is so readily available to us, we don’t have to miss amazing footage like the picture shown below.

Deer Sighting in Washington

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, photographer Paula Zanter-Stout was shooting some amazing photographs in Washinton. And then the unthinkable happened. Just up ahead, he saw two deer that looked as if they were hugging each other!

Paula commented, “These two blacktail bucks spent several minutes nibbling and licking each other’s backs and necks. While I’m unsure why they were doing this, it was sure entertaining to watch and made for great photo opportunities. Photo taken with a Nikon D3500 at 500 mm on the zoom lens.”

Do Animals Hug?

We know the human emotions we feel, and our desire to help one another sometimes results in a hug or two. Well, animals are no different in that aspect.

In the study of hugging for the bonobos (Pan paniscus), Zanna Clay, a comparative and developmental psychologist and primatologist at Durham University in the United Kingdom, states, “It’s difficult to judge animal emotions, but the evidence points to the likelihood that hugging reassures these primates, just as it does humans.”

Sure, animals have different feelings and emotions than humans do; however, this is a proud example of how animals can care for one another. Not only are they hugging each other closely, but they are also cleaning each other off.

Photographer Paula Zanter-Stout ends her commentation on her photograph with this. “This is a great combination of action and whimsy, even if the ‘action’ is relatively slow-motion. The bucks are framed nicely. I like how we can even make out the eye of the one who’s looking away. But the true prize of this photo is the buck facing us. He’s into it, which is entertaining, and it’s all easy to see because the background is clean and contrasting. All in all, well done.”

How Many Deer Live in Washington?

Deer (Odocoileus virginiana) of the family Cervidae can be found all throughout Asia, Eurasia, Europe, and in North America. While it is difficult to determine just exactly how many deer are left worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 35-36 million deer in the United States alone.
Of these 30 million in the U.S., there are estimated to be over 300,000 deer in Washington alone.