White-tailed deer had been eliminated from Shenandoah by years of hunting and other human activity, so they were not present in 1926 when Congress authorized Shenandoah National Park. In 1934, thirteen white-tailed deer were released in the park, and Shenandoah’s estimated 5,000 deer today descend from those animals or from others that migrated from surrounding forests. Their return reflects Shenandoah’s continuing recovery from years of human exploitation. Deer also face dangers from people in the park, especially along Skyline Drive, where cars kill 60-100 deer each year. Feeding deer or approaching them harms them, as unnatural foods can make them sick, hand-fed deer can be lured and killed by illegal hunters, and deer attracted to roadsides are often struck by vehicles. Spring fawns are born with spots that remain for 3-4 months and provide protective camouflage, and in summer a buck’s growing antlers are covered in velvet that protects blood-nourishing blood vessels.