Colorado Parks and Wildlife says a local crane operator helped them rescue a deer late last week. Wildlife officials say they were called to Evergreen Lake after the animal became trapped due to snow and ice.
When they arrived, they were able to wrap the deer up for its own safety. A nearby crane operator offered to help.
“In a rather lucky twist, a nearby crane truck operator stopped to help and gave our officers a much-welcomed lift,” wrote Colorado Parks and Wildlife on their social media post. “We wrapped the deer, and our wildlife officer, Ian, used his rope-lassoing skills to hook the deer up to the crane.”
Once the deer was free from the ice, they lifted the animal to safety. Afterward, wildlife officials relocated the deer to a safer area and released it. They say the animal appeared “unscathed” and quickly ran off.
The chilly conditions of a Colorado winter are not new to deer. Unlike other mammals who hibernate, deer stay warm with their fur coats. They also have a layer of fat that helps insulate their bodies. When it comes to a winter storm, deer will take cover under something like an evergreen tree. Later, they’ll use their horns to brush snow away from their food sources.
