Original article published at: https://pets.ettoday.net/news/962253
On the 5th, a man named Yang brought his whole family to play in Alishan. When coming down the mountain, he saw a young muntjac deer crossing the road. However, because it was running too fast and didn't notice the wire fence, it got its head stuck directly in a narrow diamond-shaped hole, with its horns hooked and unable to escape on its own. Mr. Yang, who was driving by, immediately turned around, put aside his travel plans, and with his daughter and wife, rushed to rescue it. The rescue was ultimately successful.
Mr. Yang said, "Muntjac deer are animals that are sensitive and easily frightened. We assessed that this was a juvenile with a small body and little strength, so we should be able to help it escape." During the process, the young muntjac kept crying out in distress, the sounds were heartbreaking and made everyone anxious. Because it was frightened, the deer kept struggling. Without gloves, Mr. Yang's wife wrapped her jacket around the muntjac to "reduce the chance of injury, contamination from bodily fluids, and mutual infection," and slowly lifted its body to prevent its neck from being strangled by the wire.
Then the whole family began the rescue, working from opposite sides of the fence. Mr. Yang tried to pull the wire mesh open a bit with his hands, but it didn't seem to work. Then they began trying bare-handed to slowly pull the deer's horns out of the hole. However, because the wire gaps were incredibly small, halfway through the rescue, the muntjac seemed to be having trouble breathing, foaming at the mouth, and blood flowing from its legs.
After about four minutes, they finally succeeded in the rescue. The young muntjac, upon gaining freedom, immediately bolted back into the forest. Mr. Yang said, "During the rescue, we hurt the little deer, and my daughter kept apologizing to it." The entire video was posted online and sparked numerous responses from netizens, who felt "this is the best kind of positive educational opportunity," "both adults and children had an unforgettable life experience," and "thank goodness the muntjac met you all."
However, animal protection personnel also remind us that when rescuing wild animals, you must first ensure that your own safety is not at risk before attempting to rescue trapped animals. If you cannot rescue it at the moment, you can also seek help from local wildlife conservation agencies to handle it, to avoid both sides getting injured.
▼Muntjac rescue process. (Video embedded from Yang Ziyí's Facebook)
