Video captures rare deer sighting at downtown Vancouver beach

A deer is seen at Vancouver's English Bay Beach on Oct. 3, 2025. (Credit: Michelle Hanley)

There was an unexpected sight in downtown Vancouver on Friday, after a wandering deer wound up at one of the city’s busiest beaches.

Video of the rare urban wildlife encounter shows the animal walking on the grass at English Bay, heading toward Stanley Park.

Michelle Hanley told CTV News she captured the video while having brunch at the nearby Sylvia Hotel the morning after a bachelorette party.

“I was very hungover, I was very confused,” Hanley said. “But it was a real treat to see.”

She first spotted the animal heading east, deeper into the city, but said it came running back in the opposite direction shortly after.

“Someone was trying to chase it back into the park to get it away from traffic,” Hanley said. “It was truly bizarre.”

Regardless of the intentions, experts warn that chasing a deer through an urban environment can be a recipe for disaster.

“Residents should avoid spooking the deer or chasing it as it may run into traffic,” said Rose Wilkin of the Stanley Park Ecology Society, in an email.

The last time a deer made headlines in downtown Vancouver was 2015. That animal ended up living in Stanley Park for a few months before being killed by a car.

Wilkin, the society’s urban wildlife programs co-ordinator, said the park is not big enough to sustain a deer population, but that the animals are strong swimmers and sometimes cross the Burrard Inlet from the North Shore

“We don’t know exactly where this deer in English Bay came from, but the North Shore is likely the answer,” Wilkin said.

The Vancouver Park Board confirmed the deer sighting was reported to rangers on Friday, and that they passed the information onto the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which has jurisdiction over these types of wildlife encounters.