Firefighter Bear-Hugs Deer Across 500 Feet of Thin Ice

When 81-year-old Daniel Poleschook looked out his window at Loon Lake in Washington state on January 27, he saw a deer struggling on the ice like Bambi trying to walk. She was stranded 500 feet from shore, and the ice was dangerously thin after an unusually warm winter.

The Poleschooks had rescued a moose from the lake over a decade ago, but this situation was different. They called the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the local fire department while neighbors gathered to help.

Firefighter Gavyn Gallagher, 26, arrived with his team wearing a technical suit designed to protect him if he broke through the ice. He started on his belly with a flotation device, trying to spread his weight across the fragile surface. But the deer was so far out that he eventually had to stand and walk, connected to shore only by a rope tied to a tree.

When Gallagher reached the frightened yearling, he tried covering her eyes to calm her down. She wanted nothing to do with him. He managed to loop a rope around her, then lay flat on the ice and wrapped his arms around her from behind in a tight bear hug.

On his signal, the team pulled them both across the ice toward shore. Grant Samsill from Fish and Wildlife explained that if Gallagher had tried to carry the deer, they both would have likely fallen through the ice.

Sunny's Take

Back on solid ground, Samsill covered the deer's eyes and checked her temperature and body for injuries. The white-tailed yearling had no signs of hypothermia or trauma. They carried her to a wooded area away from the highway and set her free.

She ran off immediately to do what Samsill called "deer things." The rescue showed what's possible when neighbors look out for each other and trained professionals are willing to take calculated risks for creatures who can't ask for help.