Deer Rescued In Buxted After Antlers Tangled In Electric Rope

An animal rescue service in East Sussex has rescued a fallow buck after its antlers became entangled in an electric rope in Buxted.

The rescue has to be carried out as quickly as possible, ideally within 30 minutes, or the deer will typically not survive, due to stress and injury.

East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service lead rescuer Trevor Weeks MBE, said the rescue was "problematic" as the rope was particularly long and the deer had been able to run into a wooded area, still attached to it.

"These rescues always worry me as they are so unpredictable, especially where they have long stretches of rope attached to them and can run over a wide area still. An adult fallow deer can weigh up to 90kg so they need to be dealt with carefully and with respect. This is not something I would suggest anyone tries to tackle on their own," said Trevor.

Rescuers managed to shorten the rope and encouraged the deer to get more entangled to help restrict its movement. They were then able to catch it by grabbing its legs although "the stream bed and position the deer landed in was far from ideal. If deer are stressed for too long they run the risk of a heart attack and not being suitable for release."

The team of five carried out a coordinated rescue, clearing the escape route so the deer did not become entangled again and ensuring it got away in the safest direction, which it eventually did.

"Electric rope fencing is the main cause of antler entanglements in deer, and often people don't think about where they are erecting rope. There was a clear deer path here and the rope fencing had been erected straight across it.

"Sadly, people often use electric rope as other types of fencing are more expensive and costly to install, but every year it causes thousands of deer to become entangled and many are not spotted before they die of a heart attack," said Trevor.

WRAS has been dealing with similar type of rescues for the past 18 years.

"No two entanglements are ever the same, each one is challenging, and you have to try and plan for various scenarios which makes them difficult and unpredictable," said Trevor.

But with places like Rogers Wildlife Rescue now permanently closed and others operating at a reduced service, Trevor says wildlife here is facing a crisis. 

"East Sussex WRAS is trying to pick up the pieces and is admitting casualties from various local organisations trying to help the best it can. This is all costing extra money, and we are also running out of space."

A new rescue centre needs to be built, to help prevent casualties ending up in local vets and being euthanised or being taken home by members of the public and not being treated with the care they need. ​​​​​​​Animals in these situations often end up suffering, being treated inappropriately, not receiving suitable veterinary treatment or becoming domesticated and suffering mentally.

"There are currently very few facilities for taking in baby deer and no facilities for dealing with the treatment of adult deer. If WRAS can raise enough funds this will change," said Trevor,

"We have an amazing team at WRAS and the charity is well established and stands the best chance of setting up a sustainable rescue centre able to help all local wildlife eventually once complete, but we need the public's help. There are few grants and funds available for wildlife rescue groups in comparison to conservation groups, so we have to work twice as hard to raise funds, so we need the public to get behind us and help make this new hospital a reality."

On Tuesday of this week the WRAS received calls for four different deer rescues. 

Please donate to our Wildlife Crisis Appeal at: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/eastsussexwildlifecrisis