RSPCA pull stricken 60kg stag from Hampshire swimming pool

TWO RSPCA officers saved the life of a stricken deer which fell into a swimming pool in Hampshire during the heatwave.
The deer was found in a disused Hampshire swimming poolThe deer was found in a disused Hampshire swimming pool
The deer was found in a disused Hampshire swimming pool

A resident called the animal welfare charity on Friday morning after spotting the stag splashing around in his disused pool

RSPCA inspector Patrick Bailey rushed to the scene in Ibsley. He said: '˜The homeowner stumbled across the deer when he went out to mow the lawn that morning

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'˜He told us they had a herd of approximately 40 deer that visited their garden each evening so the stag may have been in the pool all night.

'˜The deer wasn't visible from the house so it was unclear how long he'd been in the water.

'˜The pool hadn't been used for years and was full of old rain water. Thankfully, the heatwave had caused some of the water to evaporate so the pool wasn't too deep which meant the large, fallow stag could touch the bottom and keep his head above water.'

Inspector Bailey called in his colleague, animal collection officer Karen Gregor, for help and the duo used their grasper poles to attach to the stag's antlers and pull him to the side of the pool.

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'˜We grabbed an antler each and hauled him out,' Patrick added.

'˜He was very heavy and it was tricky to lift him up and out in order to clear the edge of the pool and avoid injuring him.

'˜Luckily, the deer pushed off of the floor in an effort to jump giving us enough momentum to pull him up and out.'

'˜He was a little wobbly at first but soon found his feet and wandered off into the surrounding countryside.

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'˜It was such a lovely result and I'm so pleased we were able to save him. It could have easily had a much more tragic ending.

'˜We were finished with the rescue by 10am and it was already a sweltering 28 degrees Celsius.'

The RSPCA said it would always advise members of the public not to put themselves at risk to help an animal and only to try to rescue an animal in distress if they can do so safely.

Please call the RSPCA's 24-hour emergency line for help on 0300 1234 999.

To help the RSPCA continue rescuing animals please donate by visiting rspca.org.uk/give.

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