By Brooke Baitinger
Merced Sun-Star
OAKLAND, Calif. — Firefighters carefully rescued a deer from a harrowing predicament after it got wedged upside down in a narrow gap between two walls of a California home, video shows.
A resident spotted the trapped deer while they walked around the Oakland neighborhood the morning of Saturday, Sept. 21, Oakland Firefighters said in a post on Instagram.
The video shows the deer stuck upside down in the 10-inch gap between a house and a garage as firefighters formulate a plan. At first, when they try to flip the deer, it wails, probably in pain or fear.
Firefighters realized they would need more help to rescue the trapped deer and requested assistance from additional rescuers and Oakland Animal Control.
“After discussing a plan, (firefighters) tied a rope around the (deer’s) legs, lifted her up off the ground between the walls and turned her around and set her back down right side up,” the fire department said. “This allowed the crews to pull her to the opening safely. Before releasing the deer back into its habitat, responding crews made sure to safely remove the rescue ropes from the legs so the deer could have full use of its legs when it was ultimately set free.”
The video shows firefighters holding the deer as an animal control officer removes the ropes. They release the deer together, and it scrambles to its feet before hopping off into the forest.
“This was a great team effort,” the fire department said.
The resident who first spotted the deer commented on the post saying they were “so happy with the outcome.”
“It was perfect timing as I was walking by (with) my dog, she kicked out and made a noise that caught my attention and that’s how I spotted her,” they said.
Another person said they hoped the homeowners would block the narrow opening “so no critters can get caught in there again.”
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