If you live in the country, you are probably quite accustomed to seeing herds of white-tailed deer roaming around. They are in the woods, in the farm fields and sometimes, they come into the residential area and hang out in our yards as well. Some people consider them to be a nuisance but others enjoy the grace and beauty that they offer. But, as is the case with any animal, they can sometimes get themselves in trouble as well.
A homeowner who lived in the Colts Neck area was accustomed to seeing deer in his backyard. When he looked out one day, however, he saw a white-tailed deer that looked normal, except it had something stuck on its head. It was difficult to make out at first but it almost looked as if he was wearing a helmet or perhaps even a fishbowl!
Although deer are beautiful, you do need to be cautious when you approach them. This man realized it and he approached the deer slowly. It was a young buck who was frightened and he was also in a lot of trouble. He was alone, which is unusual and he had a glass globe stuck on his head.
It seems as if the glass globe from a light fixture had somehow become affixed to his head. As a result of this strange occurrence, he had been ostracized from the herd.
“Certain species will treat members as outcasts if they look different or are injured so to not invite predators or disrupt the integrity of the herd,” the Monmouth County SPCA (MCSPCA) stated in a press release.
The deer was in a lot of trouble because he wasn’t able to eat or drink and it seems as if he hadn’t had anything in quite some time. The man rushed back home and called the MCSPCA and spoke to the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife.
It took little time at all for the rescuers to arrive to help free the deer from his unusual predicament.
“After he was safe to approach, the glass bowl was removed which turned out to be a light fixture cover which probably had been filled with water the deer tried to drink. The buck was dehydrated from 4 days without food and water and had a couple of scrapes probably from the poor visibility but was able to get up and walk away after we cleaned him up and the sedative had worn off,” MCSPCA wrote in a Facebook post.
A heartwarming rescue story for this rainy Friday morning! Yesterday a homeowner in Colts Neck called us to alert us of…
Posted by Monmouth County SPCA onFriday, March 30, 2018
Even though the light fixture had been removed and the deer was now free, he wasn’t quite out of the woods yet. The MCSPCA received an additional phone call from the same homeowner over the weekend saying that the deer was still hanging around.
Since he had gone a few days without eating, he was so weak that he couldn’t go find his herd again. He simply laid down on the ground and struggled to breathe. The rescuers were back on the scene in no time.
Fortunately, Deann Bowen was there to help. As a veterinary technician, he knew what to do and he gave some fluids to the deer. It seemed to be exactly what was needed because the young buck got up and went on his way.
“We could tell he was completely dehydrated by the way he looked,” Bowen said in the press release. “After we administered the fluids his head perked right up, and after a few minutes his breathing returned to normal.”
“The Monmouth County SPCA has been told that there is no longer a single deer feeding,” the press release concluded, “so it is happily assumed that he has rejoined his herd.”
We are so thankful that these kind individuals were there to help.
