Can the rare, tiny Key deer survive a flesh-eating worm?

As the rutting season for the planet’s lone surviving herd of Key deer got underway on Big Pine in late August, staff at the national refuge that manages the toy-sized animals started to notice something strange: the bucks, often wounded on the head and neck during the mating ritual, were turning up with gaping, festering wounds.

The numbers, and gory injuries, only worsened as the season deepened, leading staff to wonder what new peril faced a fragile herd threatened daily by speeding motorists, dogs and South Florida’s relentless development.