If you’ve never seen wild deer before, you might think of them as strange and exotic creatures, and while that’s not true, that’s not entirely true. You have to be in the right place to see them. New Jersey residents will tell you that wild deer wandering into your backyard or grazing on the side of the road is a common sight, especially when the weather starts to warm up.
However, for one Colts Neck homeowner, the surprise of the season was spotting an animal he had never seen before. In the darkness, it seemed that the animal had a shaggy brown body and thin legs, but the head was completely round, like a bubble or an astronaut’s helmet. What could it be?
Upon closer inspection, it turns out that this strange creature was actually a young deer in trouble. Not only did the young deer have his head stuck in a heavy glass bowl, but he was traveling alone.
Not only was his head stuck, preventing him from eating or drinking, but even worse, he left the pasture without it. A press release from the Monmouth County SPCA (MCSPCA) states, “Some species will treat members as outcasts if they look different or are injured to avoid attracting predators or compromising the integrity of the herd.”
This meant the deer would have little time unless its rescuer acted quickly. The resident contacted the MCSPCA for assistance and they immediately responded along with the NJ Divison of Fish and Wildlife.
After the deer was sedated, the rescue team got to work. “A glass bowl was removed and appeared to be a light fixture lid, likely filled with water that the deer was trying to drink,” the MCSPCA wrote on Facebook. “The deer was dehydrated after four days without food or water and had a few scratches, probably due to poor visibility, but was able to get up and walk away after we cleaned him up and the sedative wore off.”
And while the deer’s future looked brighter after the bowl was removed, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing since then. A concerned passerby called the MCSPCA again later that day after the deer lay down and had trouble breathing, too weak to find its herd.
Deanne Bowen, a veterinary technician with the MCSPCA, rushed to help. He administered fluids that seemed to be exactly what was needed.
“We could tell by the way he looked that he was completely dehydrated,” Bowen said. “After we administered the fluids, his head suddenly perked up, and within minutes his breathing returned to normal.”
And after a harsh winter and a mishap with the lamp, the deer was finally ready to go. His rescuers watched as he recovered, took a few shaky steps, and jumped over a fence back into the wild.
“The Monmouth County SPCA has advised that there are no more deer feeding,” the press release states, “so it is safe to assume that it has returned to its herd.”
If you would like to find out how you can help the MCSPCA, click here to find out.
H/T:thedodo