We’ve decided to call the female Deer that lives next to our garden “Bérangère”. That name originates from the German “Beringari”, whose roots “ber” and “gari” mean “bear and spear”. 

We named her that way, because we were intrigued by the same first name, used by a French radio talk host whose last name is Bonte.

This first name was commonly used during the Middle Ages, the three queens of Castile and Bérangere de Navarre, wife of Richard the Lionheart share that name. 

We assumed that Bérangère was born near our house, and would stay forever in that spot, but that doesn’t seem to be true. Instead, deer establish familiar home ranges, but young deer disperse to find new resources and avoid competition. 

We love Bérangère, but would like to see her rejoining the wild world where she belongs.