Sunriver Firefighters Lauded for Rescuing Deer From Frozen Pond

PETA Recognizes First Responders for Putting Lifesaving Ice-Rescue Skills to Work

For Immediate Release:
December 13, 2017

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

A Compassionate Fire Department Award is on its way from PETA to Sunriver Fire and Rescue, which came to the aid of a deer who was stuck on a frozen golf course pond on December 8. Video footage of the rescue is available here.

Concerned citizens had spotted the deer as the animal struggled to stand on the frozen pond, and they alerted police, who determined that the situation called for the Sunriver Fire and Rescue team. The firefighters arrived on the scene with an ice sled and ice immersion suits in tow, and one member ventured onto the ice in the sled toward the deer. He spoke soothingly to the terrified animal and used the tip of the sled to nudge the deer gently over to the edge of the pond and onto land. The deer finally stood up—to applause from the firefighters—and ran off, unhurt.

“These firefighters wasted no time in getting a vulnerable deer out of a scary situation,” says PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA encourages people everywhere to follow their big-hearted lead and always come to the aid of animals in need.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”— is sending Sunriver Fire and Rescue a framed certificate, a box of delicious vegan cookies, a letter of congratulations, and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet, a Texas firefighter’s 28-day plan for staying in prime firefighting shape by eating vegan meals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.