Spotted: UTM’s favourite campus celebrities
The deer of UTM are a beloved part of campus culture, appearing when you least expect them. They reveal how closely the campus is woven into the surrounding landscape.
The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) campus is known for its integration with nature. The trees arch over familiar pathways like a canopy, students rush to class listening to the birds sing, and greenery seems to be stitched into the campus itself.
And every once in a while, you can spot a deer.
Sometimes they emerge quietly from the woods, while other times you might spot one grazing near a residence or crossing a path ahead of you, especially at night when it’s quiet. It is easy to see why deer have become a beloved part of campus life. They add a fairy-tale element to an ordinary walk to classes.
UTM sits on a 225-acre campus along the Credit Valley, surrounded by forests and protected green spaces with more than 20 campus sites “naturalized with native trees and wildflowers” since 2004, according to the UTM Sustainability Office.
The deer most students encounter are probably white-tailed deer, a species commonly found in Ontario. They are easiest to recognize because of their distinct white tail when they run, like a small flag disappearing between the trees. According to National Geographic and the Government of Ontario, white-tailed deer rely on wooded habitats and connected corridors to move between feeding, shelter, and seasonal areas. In addition, the multiple patches of trees scattered around campus make it a hub for deer, as the campus becomes one piece of a much larger ecological system.
This also explains why you can spot them almost all around campus. I have personally seen them near the walkway between student residences and the student center, the walkway between the Instructional Centre and Maanjiwe Nendamowinan as well as the North field close to the tennis courts.
I have also spotted them on walks close to the William G. Davis Building. It is important to note that there is no guarantee of viewing or scheduled appearances. They seem to roam campus more often in the colder months and when it’s dark. Their unpredictability is part of the charm that makes the campus so fun to walk around in.
Sharing campus with many flora and fauna means that, as tempting as it may be to move closer for a perfect photo, the best way to appreciate deer (or any other wildlife) is to keep a respectful distance and avoid feeding them or getting too close.
So, the next time your mind is crowded with upcoming assignments, midterms, and everything else on your to-do list, look towards the trees. You might just catch a pair of ears rising above the grass or a deer staring right at you.
UTM’s greenery and integration with the environment remind us that we are only a small part of the community that calls this campus home.
