SALEM, Wis., March 23 (UPI) -- Seven deer including six that had been huddled in a circle were found dead on a Wisconsin farm, the apparent victims of lightning, authorities said.
The deer, found in a farm field in Kenosha County, were probably killed Sunday night, neighbor Randy Lantz said.
"It's bizarre," Lantz told the Chicago Tribune.
A sheriff's deputy, alerted by neighbors, found the deer near Salem, Wis., about 5 miles from the Illinois border.
In the center of the group of six dead deer he found a hole about 5 inches deep and 5 inches across, Sgt. Bill Beth of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department said.
"It looked like the earth had been blown out of that hole," Beth said, adding he definitely thinks "it was a lightning strike."
Lantz said he noticed the herd Sunday drinking from deep puddles created by heavy rainfall.
A meteorologist who confirmed there were thunderstorms in the region Sunday said it is possible for animals to be killed by lightning in an empty field and it often happens among groups of cows.
"Chances are if [the deer] were out in the field and they are the tallest object ... they stand a better chance of being struck by lightning," National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Birk said.
