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Oakland County rescuers freed a deer trapped between highway barricades after a car strike
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The animal was safely lifted out with rescue straps, sustaining only minor bruises
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Officials urge drivers to slow down as deer mating season increases collision risks
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team rescued an adult deer that was caught between the barricades of a busy highway.
According to a press release obtained by PEOPLE, the incident occurred on Monday, Oct. 13, around 2 p.m. The animal “became inescapably wedged” in the foot-wide space between the concrete barricades after it was struck by a car on Interstate 75. A driver called the Auburn Hills Police Department, who then dispatched the Oakland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Team for further assistance.
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office
Michigan Officials Rescue Wounded Deer
Officials on the scene noted that the four-point buck appeared to have been bruised but sustained no major injuries from the event. Northbound and southbound lanes were closed as the response team extracted the animal from the crevice safely.
Responders utilized a “technical rescue truck” and straps to carefully lift the deer while “untangling its hoofs in the process.” The process took about one hour, and once the animal was checked out by the Animal Control team on the scene, it was released back into the wild.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard spoke to the quick movements of her team, stating, “I’m proud of our team, whose skill and determination made it possible to rescue this deer from certain death.”
The office of the Oakland County Sheriff took to its official Facebook account to share the harrowing events along with photos of the deer in and out of the barricades.
“In the midst of a busy day, our search and rescue team responded to a call regarding a deer trapped in cement barricades, facing a fatal outcome without expert extraction,” the post read. “Their diligence, training, and hard work paid off, enabling them to rescue the young deer and transfer it to a wildlife rehabilitation center.”
October marks the beginning of deer mating season, just in time for colder and shorter days. Clay Steele, a naturalist with Lee County Conservation, told local news outlet WGEM that it’s a “perfect storm” for an increase in deer-vehicle collisions.
“You have all the crops coming out, the deer are moving around and looking for a new habitat, hunting season is just about to start, or has started in some cases with archery,” said Steele, adding that deer have subpar vision at night, making these incidents even more prevalent.
Steele noted, “They see a little bit, so they’re going to be moving around a little bit at night, and sometimes they’ll be moving around during the day, but it’s really those times when to watch out and slow down.”
Because of this, local officials are encouraging drivers to drive more slowly and with much more caution through mating season, which typically slows down towards the end of November into December.
Read the original article on People
