Trapped Doe Rescued By Policemen

by Sherry Morse

In late November, four policemen in Waterford, Michigan helped rescue a doe who became trapped in the basement of a condominium that was under construction.

The doe's ordeal began when she wandered near the new construction and fell ten feet into its basement area. She was discovered by construction workers, who called police to rescue her.

About a dozen construction crew members and onlookers from the neighborhood gathered to watch the deer's rescue.

Police officers arriving at the scene did not want to shoot the deer, but were at a loss as to how to remove her from the basement as there were no steps leading down to it.

Eventually Waterford detective Gary Bryan climbed down into the basement and lassoed the deer's hind legs, after which the other officers helped tie her other legs up so they could move her.

The rescue operation wasn't easy. Sergeant Mark Giroux said the frightened deer "was kicking the heck out of them." One officer was kicked in the leg, and the others were glad to be wearing their bulletproof vests as they absorbed several kicks from the terrified animal.

Once out of the basement, the deer was turned loose and, according to Giroux, "was last seen heading west into the woods with a smile on (her) face and to the applause of the citizens."

The incident marked the second time in the last few years Detective Bryan had rescued a deer by lassoing her legs.

The humane actions of the police officers were all the more remarkable given that all four are apparently avid hunters. Giroux said that although they were all hunters, they had gone beyond the call of duty and saved this doe.

"There's no thrill in the hunt when it's in a basement," is how Bryan explained it, Giroux said.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.