An escaped baby deer from a Chongqing park has won the hearts of a small farming community, where instead of compensation for their damaged crops villagers sought free admission to the park to visit their new four-legged friend.

The fawn was first spotted by a Changshou district villager surnamed Zhao around 9 am on Tuesday feasting on corn stalks in a field.

"My child told me deer are a protected species and should not be harmed," Zhao said.

Police from the Longhe station were dispatched to the village and suspected the deer was domesticated. Local forestry officials determined the deer had traveled from a park area still under construction about 20 kilometers away.

The deer has since been returned to the park.

The park's manager told police they were unaware the fawn was missing.

Officers requested that the animal's owner compensate villagers for damage done to their crops. However, the villagers offered a better solution - to visit the deer in the park, free of charge.

The report did not mention if the park agreed.

Chongqing Evening News