Struggling deer saved from Red River by construction workers
A team of four men from a small Manitoba town came together to save a deer that had fallen through the ice.
Dennis Baudry runs a construction company in Ste. Agathe, Man. with his brothers Alain and Gilbert.
On Friday, an employee came back to the office after noticing a deer in the Red River while driving to a job.
"He came in the office and said, 'Dennis, there's a deer out on the south side of the bridge at Ste. Agathe in the water,'" said Dennis Baudry.
"So I quickly took that info and drove down to the river, and, of course, this deer was bobbing back and forth."
Estimating the deer had been in the river at least an hour, Baudry knew it was in trouble.
"It was sort of caught in this current in maybe four or five feet of water," he said.
Baudry assembled his brothers and the employee to create a plan to rescue the deer.
"We got a couple of chainsaws, some rope, an ice pick and we went down there and made a path."
The team sprung to action cutting into the thin ice to make a spot for the animal to surface.
(Source: Dennis Baudry)
"It was bobbing. It was just a matter of time. It was very weak. It was on its last legs," said Baudry.
After 15 minutes of work, one of the brothers managed to lasso the deer's antlers.
"On the second try, he was able to get it on his horns," Baudry said. "It took a good tug, but once we got it on the ice, we dragged it and we could tell it was very weak."
After untying the rope, Baudry and the other men anxiously watched to see if the deer would get up.
"It took about two to three hours of recovery and it took off," he said.
Despite being avid hunters, Baudry and his brothers were glad to see the deer flee.
"It was very satisfying. All of us put all our hunter things aside and were very happy to see this beautiful buck prance away."
(Source: Dennis Baudry)
According to Baudry, it's not uncommon for animals to have issues with the ice.
"There's a lot of deer that happen to fall at this time of year. Fortunately, this animal, we were able to see it and retrieve it and let it go."
While happy to help, Baudry assures that everyone was safe during the rescue.
"Being from the area, we sort of know the dangers of working on the ice. We were very careful."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.