Drone video: 3 deer in Wisconsin find themselves in rescue operation after falling through frozen lake
A drone used by the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office follows the deer to try and lead or push the animal in the right direction of safety.
3 deer in Wisconsin find themselves in rescue operation after falling through frozen lake
Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office in Wisconsin responds to save all three deer in a quick fashion.
GREEN LAKE, Wis. – Three deer in Wisconsin found themselves in a rescue operation after plunging into freezing waters.
Detectives with the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office sprang into action to help save one doe and two fawns last week after they fell through the ice at Green Lake, Wisconsin.
The rescue began with a video of a deer struggling to swim through the lumpy ice-filled waters. A drone used by the sheriff’s office follows the deer to try and lead or push the animal in the right direction of safety.
During the rescue, all three deer piled up on top of each other and paused to take a break amid the broken ice. They were tired and shivering as their bodies grew numb from the frigid temperatures. Each time the drone camera draws closer to the deer, they frantically avoid it by swimming in the opposite direction.
A nice still photo from the drone while directing one of 3 deer to shore after they went through the ice.
(Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office)
"We’ve done a lot of human rescues, looking for people, lost people, search and rescue stuff, accident scene crashes. Never done one doing a herd deer drive with a drone," Detective Josh Ward with the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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Ward did note that because deer are afraid of people, it encouraged a different approach to the situation.
Eventually, one of the deer made it to safety. Too tired to move and climb ashore, the animal laid its head on the rock. Detective Ward used a rope to wrangle the deer back onto land, where the animal dropped to the ground from exhaustion.
"If we came from the shoreline with a boat, they’re just going to try and get away, and you’re actually doing more harm than good because you’re pushing them further and further away from shore," Detective Ward said.
Windy conditions made maneuvering the drone especially difficult. Despite this, deputies safely rescued all three deer within an hour. A fast response was crucial to avoiding the risk of hypothermia.