Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

PAWTUCKET, RI -- A rescue crew worked for about an hour this morning to save a female deer that had fallen through the ice on the Blackstone River.

The Fire Department received word around 9:30 a.m. about the deer struggling in the water from a passerby. The deer was about 75 yards from shore, according to animal contol Officer John Holmes, of the Pawtucket Animal Rescue.

"It was struggling. You could see it was tired and wasn't going to make it much longer. It had fallen through ice couldn't get back on," Holmes said.

Firefighters together with an environmental police officer from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management reached the deer on a boat used by the fire department for rescues, according to Capt. Christopher Cute, acting battalion chief for the Fire Department.

Cute said firefighters lassoed the struggling animal and some of the firefighters cradled the deer while they pulled her along the boat back to shore. There, firefighters dried the exhausted deer, which could barely stand, and covered her in blankets, he said. They put her in a front end loader and carried her to the Pawtucket Animal Shelter in Slater Park, where they wrapped her up and put her in one of the garages and turned up the heat.

"Within an hour she was up and then Bambi was running through the woods in Slater Park," Holmes said.

 Tags  Fire Department Pawtucket RI rescue Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

Comments

Bruce F Cushman said:

This has to restore your faith in "2 legged animals". Congrats to all concerned, and as usual, when something good happens with animals, John Holmes is mentioned!

Bruce Cushman, Warwick

Link | January 26, 2009 4:19 PM
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Petar_1 said:

Great job guys!! Very glad all involved are safe.

Link | January 27, 2009 11:59 AM
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