2 deer rescued from Maryland mud pit: ‘Feel-good ending’

Officers with Maryland Natural Resources Police worked for two hours to free the two trapped deer. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)
Officers with Maryland Natural Resources Police worked for two hours to free the two trapped deer. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)
Officers with Maryland Natural Resources Police worked for more than two hours to free the two trapped deer. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)
Officers with Maryland Natural Resources Police worked for more than two hours to free the two trapped deer. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)
Once freed, the deer went scampering into the woods, officers said. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)
(1/3)
Officers with Maryland Natural Resources Police worked for two hours to free the two trapped deer. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)
Officers with Maryland Natural Resources Police worked for more than two hours to free the two trapped deer. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police)

DEALE, Md. (AP) — Maryland Natural Resources Police rescued two deer from a mud pit in Anne Arundel County over the weekend.

A call reporting the two stuck deer came in about 11 a.m. Saturday, and a team of three officers trained to handle wildlife emergencies responded, Candy Thomson, a spokeswoman with Natural Resources Police, told WTOP.

The officers used boards to reach the deer and “good old-fashioned tow rope” to extricate them, Thomson said.

The two bucks were exhausted and scared and sinking further into the bog as they scrambled their hooves. Officers also used an ATV to help pull them free.

The rescue took about two and half hours, Natural Resources police said in a tweet. The deer were apparently unharmed and, once freed, scampered into nearby woods.

“So often our officers are called to put down wildlife when they’ve been hit by a car or had another kind of emergency, so for them to be able to respond and watch the deer run off into the woods was really a feel-good ending,” Thomson said.

WTOP’s Jack Moore contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up