Here’s to human ingenuity and compassion! Who would have thought to use a helicopter to blow a stranded deer off dangerously thin ice? Obviously, this Canadian chopper pilot, Dave Farrell, did. He has 25 years’ experience as a pilot.
The doe and her fawn were trapped on the ice in Antigonish Harbour, Nova Scotia, with the mother unable to regain her footing. Said Farrell, “As long as you can keep that deer moving along the ice, it tends to calm down. I don’t know if it understands we’re trying to help or, I don’t know what’s going through its mind, but it works good.”
The Department of Natural Resources was alerted to the deer’s predicament by Ian Waugh, the man who filmed the rescue. When the helicopter approached, the frightened fawn scurried to safety, to be joined shortly by its mother after she was blown to shore.
I first saw this video last night, and I expect its views to skyrocket today. Who doesn’t love animal stories and happy endings?
Update 2024: First video disappeared. I think this one includes it: