Although the deer had been hit by car, it didn’t appear to be seriously injured. However, the doe was in a state of shock, just lying there on the side of the road and not moving. The rescuers had to act fast. Deer are extremely fragile and when they’re handled or otherwise under stress, they can suffer “capture myopathy.” It’s a fatal condition in which lactic acid builds up, causing muscle tissue to die.
Simon, one of the rescuers, managed to pick up the deer and hustle her over to the car, gently placing her in the hatchback area and wrapping her in a blanket. Once they got her to the animal hospital, a vet gave her a quick examination, stitched up a few gashes, and administered a painkiller.
The next task was to rush the deer back to the accident site so she could be released into familiar woods. The deer was still traumatized and was pulling her head back, a tip-off that a deer is giving up on life. Simon did everything he could to encourage the deer to keep her head forward and stay standing up. Still, she went limp. Simon and his assistant didn’t give up: they kept gently encouraging the deer to get back up on her feet. “It was heartbreaking to watch her struggling to stay up. This is the most worrying time for us because we never really know if we’ve done the right thing or the wrong thing. I’m just convinced that after years and years of doing this that this is the right thing for this deer. But she’s right on the verge of making it or collapsing. I hate the fact that she’s fighting it but not managing to go.”
They tried taking the deer deeper into the woods and gave her more time. Slowly but surely, the deer started perking up. The smiles on the rescuers’ faces say it all!
Check out the video we’ve posted below and let us know what you thought about this race against the clock in the Facebook comments. Be sure to like and share!
