The deer that seemed largely undisturbed by a hunting arrow lodged through its head will continue its good fortune and likely make a full recovery following intervention by wildlife officials, USA Today reported.
Susan Darrah's of Rockaway Township, NJ first spotted the impaled deer on Nov. 1, but wasn't able to coordinate its appearance with help from the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife until Nov. 9.
"They're determined to get it," she said. "They're doing a phenomenal job and really want to help."
She said the deer, which she calls Steve Martin after his arrow-through-the-head gag, seemed mostly unaffected by its own, real-life example as it continued to frequent her home in search of food, according to USA Today.
"It's attracting a ton of other deer too, obviously," she said.
Like Steve Martin, the deer has quickly gained a national following with video and international coverage, USA Today reported.
"I cannot believe this thing has gone viral," Darrah said. "I'm getting calls from Sweden, Germany, Denmark, all asking about the deer."
The arrow pierced the skin at a downward trajectory on the left side of the animal's face just under the eyes and through the nasal cavity, with the head clearing the other side by several inches. It missed all major arteries and organs and caused no infection, USA Today reported.
Biologists tranquilized Steve Martin on Saturday, according to USA Today. They unscrewed the arrow head from the right side of the deer's face and simply pulled it out. Then, they dressed the wounds, injected some preventative antibiotics, and monitored it as the effects of the tranquilizers gradually faded.
Darrah was overjoyed at the news. She said scientists tagged the deer's tail purple in honor of her own purple-tinted hair - and so both parties can track the animal's recovery.
"I tint my hair purple," she said. "They said they painted the tail purple in my honor so I can watch his progress."
Darrah calls the event an accident.
"I know hunters, and they would never do this on purpose," she said. "I'm sure it wasn't intentional."