A deer lies stranded on a sheet of smooth ice, unable to stand, until a helicopter comes in low and uses the downwash from its rotor to push the animal across the surface towards the shore. It is one of the most unusual wildlife rescues ever filmed, and pilots have used the same technique more than once.
Why deer get stranded on ice
Deer cross frozen lakes, ponds and bays all winter, usually without trouble. The danger comes on clear, glassy ice with no snow on top. Their hard, narrow hooves find almost no grip, and once the legs slide out sideways a deer often cannot get them back underneath itself. Exhausted and spread-eagled, it may lie on the ice for hours.
The ice that strands a deer is often too thin for people. Fast-moving water near river mouths and tidal channels freezes slowly and turns brittle, so walking out to drag the animal back is a real risk for any rescuer.
How a helicopter can rescue a deer on ice
A helicopter's main rotor drives a powerful column of air downwards. Hovering close beside a stranded animal, a pilot can use that downwash to slide it along the ice like a puck on a rink, steering it gradually towards land, without anyone setting foot on the surface.
The best-documented case comes from Nova Scotia, Canada. In early 2013 a doe and her fawn became trapped on thin ice in a bay of Antigonish Harbour. The fawn made it to shore by itself; the doe could not move. Retired biologist Ian Waugh, who lives nearby, judged the ice too thin to go out and called the provincial Department of Natural Resources.
The department sent pilot David Farrell, who had been flying helicopters for almost 25 years. He brought the aircraft down beside the doe and blew her across the ice. "These machines are fairly light, so you have to get very close, within four feet," he told CTV News. Keeping the deer moving, he said, also tends to calm it.
Near the shore two men pulled the doe onto snowy ground by her ears. She stumbled into the woods and was later seen walking with her fawn. Waugh's video spread around the world, to the surprise of Farrell, who had no idea he was being filmed.
Hovercraft, boats and drones
Helicopters are only one tool. Wildlife officers and volunteers have also used hovercraft, which glide over ice and open water alike, ice-rescue sleds and ropes. Recently, police and fire services have even used drones to herd deer that fell through thin ice back towards safety. You can see a hovercraft at work in A Hovercraft Reaches Deer Stranded on Lake Ice, and another deer-on-ice encounter shows a different approach. For a human rescue from the air, read about a mountain helicopter rescue.
What to do if you see an animal stranded on ice
Stay on shore and call for help. In North America that means the state or provincial wildlife department, the local police or the fire service; elsewhere, the local wildlife authority or emergency number. Note the exact location, the animal's position and whether it can still stand. Rescue crews carry ice suits, ropes and sleds, and they decide whether a helicopter, boat or hovercraft is the right tool.
Related reading
- Hovercraft Deer Rescue on Albert Lea Lake
- A Young Moose Caught in a Gate: The Rescue Sequence
- People Helping Animals: Separate Rescues in One Compilation
- A Young Squirrel Brought Indoors: The Rescue Photo Sequence
- Two Kittens Found in a Snow-Covered Box: The Full Rescue Account
No comments