Swimming deer in lifeboat rescue
Published: June 5, 2006
A lifeboat crew has rescued a young deer which was spotted swimming out to sea from Arbroath Harbour.
The disorientated and distressed animal was picked up by the town’s inshore rescue boat.
The crew said the animal was “virtually dead” when they reached it. The deer later recovered and ran away after being released on farmland.
SSPCA senior inspector Mark Lungair praised the response and said: “”This was such an amazing rescue.”
Local harbourmaster David Stewart, also a part-time RNLI Arbroath lifeboat crew member, called colleagues when he spotted the animal.
RNLI Arbroath mechanic Allan Russell decided to launch the lifeboat to save the deer from drowning.
“By the time we launched, the deer had gone out of the harbour and was on the outer harbour wall, trying to climb up it,” Mr Russell said.
Deer ’spooked’
“It was trapped and in a very bad way, very distressed. It was virtually dead when we came alongside it.”
Mr Lungair, who is based at Forfar, put the deer’s survival down to the RNLI’s quick response.
“This poor deer must have got spooked by something and was disorientated and must have escaped into the water.”
The inspector, who released the animal on a farm at East Seaton, added: “It was completely fine, it just ran away.”
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