Baby deer gets stuck in mud while separated from mom. Then came South Carolina rescue
A baby deer got stuck in the mud and separated from its mom — then South Carolina rescuers stepped in.
Firefighter Stan Albertson and Capt. Judd Gilstrap jumped into action when they realized the fawn had trouble getting itself loose. The two went into a creek to help free the animal, Pickens County officials wrote June 19 on Facebook.
A photo shared in the post shows the firefighters with the adorable fawn after the rescue.
“They hoisted it up an embankment, where it was reunited with its mother” after she accepted it, officials wrote.
The rescue was reported a few weeks after a similar wildlife encounter in South Carolina. In May, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy squeezed into a tight culvert to get a trapped fawn to safety.
Pickens County is west of Greenville and home to about 133,000 people. White-tailed deer are found there and throughout the state, often living near a variety of plants.
Experts urge people who see fawns alone to avoid contact with the animals, as their mothers likely are nearby and may abandon their babies after human encounters. But if you know a baby deer is an orphan, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources recommends calling for help at 803-734-3886 or 843-953-9300.
This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Baby deer gets stuck in mud while separated from mom. Then came South Carolina rescue."
