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Ice Skater Risks His Own Life To Save Family Of Deer

Ice Skater Risks His Own Life To Save Family Of Deer

The animals were on thin ice...

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

A man who was out ice-skating in Canada on his lunch break risked his own safety to rescue a family of deer after spotting them stranded out on the frozen lake. He even managed to film the daring rescue attempt whilst it was in progress. Watch it below:

Ryan Peterson, from Ontario, was out having a leisurely skate during his break when he noticed that the family of deer were in grave danger, and realised that he had to act quickly to save the lives of the poor animals.

However, in the process, he put his own life in jeopardy by stepping into the breach.

He knew that the ice wouldn't allow any vehicle to cross, so if he was going to save the deer, he needed to skate.

Ryan explained: "I went back to work and grabbed some rope.

"The ice was still too thin for any kind of vehicle, so skating was the only option."

The video footage, which was taken on 3 December, shows the three creatures - a mother and her two fawns - splayed out across the frozen water in the centre of the Lake of the Woods in Kenora, Northern Ontario.

Storyful

Ryan skated across to them and managed to tie a few ropes around them. They were trying really hard to get up onto their feet, but to little avail.

In the end, Ryan managed to drag them across to safety on the edge of the lake.

After his exploits, he told The Guardian: "If they're upright, they can kick you. [But] once they're down on the ice, their legs are flat out and they can't lift them."

To be fair, the deer must have been absolutely terrified. That fear could have caused them to lash out and hurt their would-be rescuer.

The mother deer seemed to be carrying an injury, too. Ryan noticed after the successful attempt that she may have been hurt on her leg or hip.

Either way, after making a few precarious journeys out onto the ice, Ryan eventually managed to get the deer to safety and off the ice.

Storyful

He continued: "The two younger ones took off running right away, but the doe stuck around with what seemed like an injured hip or leg."

In the end, Ryan contacted the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to ask for help, but officials told him that they couldn't respond immediately because the lake was not completely frozen.

It's not yet known whether the deer received any veterinary treatment in the end.

Ryan added: "I'm not entirely sure how they walked all the way out there.

"But they definitely walked out there."

Featured Image Credit: Storyful

Topics: Inspirational, Animals