California deer rescue caught on camera

SACRAMENTO (WABC) -- Firefighters in the Sacramento, California, metro area had quite a different kind of rescue on Sunday afternoon.

A young deer somehow got trapped in a canal.

A couple spotted the deer in the Folsom South Canal as they were bicycling.

"We saw this young deer that was stuck, and we couldn't just keep going," Anne Nicolaou said. "So we called everybody we could think of to come out."

Then a call from KCRA photographer Frank Curry brought Sacramento Metro Fire, which then called for its river rescue boat.

Two metro firefighters went into the water, but the deer would not cooperate.

"The deer seemed to be lethargic and out of energy," Captain Forest Rowell said. "But when we got close in the boat, he got a lot of energy."

Time and time again, rescuers could not catch the frightened deer.

Firefighters even tried throwing a lasso from the bank without success, while Metro's helicopter flew over for a look.

The chase went on for about a hour, with the animal proving elusive. Finally, the deer became tired, allowing the rescue boat to get closer.

Firefighters carried the deer up to safety, where a county animal officer tranquilized the animal for safe transport and examination.

The animal will be checked for possible injuries before release.

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