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Deer rescued from frigid pond in Plymouth

The Plymouth Fire Department's water rescue team proved they're concerned about wildlife, too.

PLYMOUTH, Minn. — The DNR frequently tells Minnesota residents that no matter how cold it is, no ice can be considered 100% safe. 

That's apparently true even if that resident is a deer.

Earlier this week the Plymouth Fire Department water rescue squad was dispatched to a local pond of reports of a deer in trouble. The doe had wandered out onto the ice not knowing, of course, that the pond was aerated, which keeps ice from forming too thick. She found a soft spot and plunged into the icy water. 

Video of the incident shows the deer disoriented, panicky and struggling to stay afloat. Rescue team members donned their floatation suits and went out onto the pond in hopes of saving the terrified deer. One used an axe to chop an elongated channel in the ice to direct her toward the shore, while another stood by with a catch pole (basically a stick with a small noose on the end) to snag her. 

When the doe eventually swam into the channel the firefighter with the catch pole managed to get it over her head and carefully pulled her out. After laying on the ice for a few moments to rest and get her bearings, the deer got up and ran into the woods. 

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