Conservation officers are being heralded as heroes after they rescued a whitetail deer stuck on an icy lake in British Columba.
Earlier this week, conservation officers received several calls from the public that a young buck was trapped on Duck Lake, located just north of Kelowna, B.C.
The deer was likely chased by coyotes onto the lake, which in some parts, was only two-inches thick.
When the conservation officers arrived at the scene, the deer was splayed out on all fours—a familiar stance for any beginner skater who has slipped and felt the forceful hand of gravity.
The officers tranquilized the deer and then carefully placed the body in their flat-bottom boat and headed back to the shore.
“The fog worked to our advantage to get close to the deer,” said conservation officer Ken Owens to Global News. The fog concealed the officers, who could have frightened the deer and caused him to break through the ice.
If the deer wasn’t rescued that day, it’s likely he would have succumbed to hypothermia or have been killed by predators that night.
It’s common for a deer to break its pelvis during this type of fall. Thankfully for this young buck, he was not injured and released back into the woods.
