Herd of 30 deer in search of water find oasis in Colorado backyard, video shows

A herd of thirsty deer discovered a Colorado backyard, and they liked what they found.

About 30 deer drank from small pails of water that Brandee Wharton had left around her backyard in Evergreen, Storyful reported.

“I’ve never had such a big herd come up together, but there were about 30 of them,” she told Storyful. “I’m lucky.”

The deer made their first visit Wednesday morning, and came back to their newly found oasis later that evening.

Wharton said she had put the water out for wildlife moving from place to place to stay safe from wildfires.

No fires are burning nearby now, but “we had a fire in Evergreen a couple weeks ago so I try to help out with a cool sip for them as they pass through,” Wharton said on Facebook. “And yes, there’s a stick in the pail for small creatures to get in and out of it.”

Four wildfires are burning more than 175,000 acres across the state, The Denver Post reported. Rocky Mountain National Park closed part of the park because of the Cameron Peak Fire, the National Park Service said.

This story was originally published August 21, 2020 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Herd of 30 deer in search of water find oasis in Colorado backyard, video shows."