MOLALLA, Ore. -- An injured doe rescued from the wild and cared for by an Oregon family for five years will not be returned to the family despite public outcry, according to officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

O.D.F.W. officials seized "Snowball" and her offspring "Bucky" after a neighbor reported that the animals were being held in captivity. Under Oregon law, it is illegal to have wild animals as pets.

Deer Debate

The decision to remove the deer from the family that rescued her brought the agency under heavy criticism.

Blog: Oh deer!

Franchesca Mantei and Jim Filipetti thanked Oregonians for the outpouring of support they have received. Filipetti said he felt a moral responsibility to help injured animals, wild or not, and would do the same thing again.

"If they take my deer, and I find another one (injured), I'll help her, too...and I just won't tell anyone," he said.

Slideshow: Pictures of Snowball and son, Bucky

Under mounting public pressure, the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife finally promised at a Friday press briefing that two deer seized from the Molalla family would not be euthanized under any conditions.

"We are looking at all the options. Euthanasia is not one of those options... Under no conditions will the doe or buck be euthanized," O.D.F.W. Director Roy Elicker said during a news conference.

Video: "The deer will not be euthanized"

Read: ODFW statements about deer

Elicker also conceded that one possible option might be to return the female deer to the family. "We have not ruled that out," Elicker said.

Snowball's offspring, a young buck, has reached maturity and is aggressive, therefore returning him to the family is not under consideration, according to Elicker. He reiterated that officials are still searching for a licensed facilty that might be able to take both deer.

Decision to seize deer causes uproar

The wildlife department received at least 600 phone calls from concerned animals lovers on Thursday, and was inundated with e-mails as well.

"There has been an outpouring of support for the family and two deer and personally, I understand where they're coming from," he said.

Public outcry: Pressure on ODFW to save deer

The Oregon Humane Society also weighed in on the issue Thursday, saying, "Wildlife does not make an appropriate pet. But these deer shouldn’t be destroyed because of the human intervention in their life."

More: 'Family was wrong, but deer should live'

That same day, the family announced they had hired a lawyer who specializes in animal cases to fight for custody of the deer.

Family rescued deformed deer

Mantei found the deformed, rare-colored black tail deer five years ago. She took it to the vet regularly, fed and cared for it and named it Snowball. Eventually, Snowball mated with another deer and gave birth to Bucky.

Mantei spent most of Wednesday bawling. Four Oregon State Police cars were parked in her driveway. Fish & Wildlife officials were staged nearby.

Reporter Blog: Family broken-hearted

After receiving an anonymous tip that the family has been illegally keeping a wild animal as a pet, authorities descended on Mantei's Molalla property Wednesday morning to seize Snowball and Bucky.

Your Turn: Share/Read comments

In a surprise compromise, ODFW officials granted Mantei permission to release the tame female deer onto the family's own land. But the compromise fell through later in the day and state police arrived to seize the animals.

"If they can't figure out what to do with her, who can take her, they'll put her down," Mantei said, trying to hold back tears.

"So much wasted money... all of this over a crippled little happy deer," she added.

For the deer's own protection, Snowball had been living in a large, fenced-in area on the Mantei's land, according to the family. Cougars and other predators live in the area.

Snowball would not be able to fend for herself if released, even if the deer were to remain on the family's property, said Mantei, who has spent the last five years caring for the deer.

"Snowball released in my yard will not have a fighting chance... she can't run...with the wild critters in the area and the neighbors' dogs, she'll get mauled," Mantei said.

How It All Began

Snowball was lying on the side of the road by Mantei's house as she drove her children to school five years ago. The young deer's back legs were badly deformed, causing the hooves to cut into the skin every time the deer tried to take a step.

Every two weeks for six months, Mantei took the deer to a veterinarian, who fitted it with special casts to correct the deformation, and Snowball learned to walk better.

Eventually, Snowball mated with another deer neighbors found, and gave birth to Bucky, Mantei said.

More: ODFW explains reasons for wildlife rules

Under state law, removing or capturing wildlife and keeping wildlife in captivity without a permit are considered Class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $6,250 fine.

On Tuesday, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials said Bucky would probably be returned to the wild. Rick Hargrave, a spokesman for ODFW, said Bucky was showing "skittishness" and other signs that he has natural instincts of a wild deer, even though he was raised since birth in a pen on a Molalla family's property.

KGW photo

Bucky, Snowball's offspring

However, Hargrave said Bucky's mom, Snowball, appeared far more domesticated and would surely not be released into the wild. He said negotiations continued with the family who rescued and raised the deformed doe, to figure out the best place for Snowball to live out her life in captivity. Hargrave said they had not ruled out the possibility that the doe could eventually be returned to the Molalla family.

Also: Pet elk released into wild in Tillamook

In a similar case, a wild elk nicknamed "Lucky" was taken in by a Tillamook family and raised on dog and horse feed. The state seized "Lucky" and released the elk back into the wild last July.

Blog: "Lucky" not so lucky after all

Slideshow: Elk's release into wild

The elk was set free in a remote part of the Cascades, but even wildlife officials said they were not optimistic that he would survive for long, since he never developed natural instincts for escaping from predators and foraging for food.

(KGW reporter Pat Dooris also contributed to this story)