PHOTOS: Images show firefighters rescuing deer calf from Arlington Court lake
FIREFIGHTERS have released images showing how they freed a red deer calf from silt in the lake at Arlington Court in North Devon.
A specialist mobile rescue team from the Barnstaple station went to the National Trust grounds with a fire engine on Sunday afternoon. The team also took a rescue vehicle which towed an inflatable boat.
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![20130106_135621[2]](http://legacymedia.localworld.co.uk/275834/Article/images/17791440/4455048.jpg)
The red deer calf stuck in silt in the lake at Arlington Court near Barnstaple
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Firefighters rescued the deer calf in an inflatable boat
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Firefighters rescued the deer calf in an inflatable boat
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The red deer calf stuck in silt in the lake at Arlington Court near Barnstaple
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The red deer calf stuck in silt in the lake at Arlington Court near Barnstaple
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The red deer calf stuck in silt in the lake at Arlington Court near Barnstaple
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The red deer calf stuck in silt in the lake at Arlington Court near Barnstaple
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Firefighters rescued the deer calf in an inflatable boat
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Firefighters rescued the deer calf in an inflatable boat
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Firefighters rescued the deer calf in an inflatable boat
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Firefighters rescued the deer calf in an inflatable boat
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Firefighters brought the rescued deer calf ashore
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Firefighters brought the rescued deer calf ashore
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Firefighters brought the rescued deer calf ashore
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Firefighters brought the rescued deer calf ashore
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Firefighters brought the rescued deer calf ashore
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Firefighters brought the rescued deer calf ashore
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The rescued deer calf
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The red deer calf stuck in silt in the lake at Arlington Court near Barnstaple
Members of the public called Arlington Court house to say the calf was stuck in silt and distressed.
Murry Sharpe, 45, outdoor manager at Arlington, said: “Although they didn’t go into the mud there were quite a few people who were wanting to get in and help.
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“The mud was deep, at least two or three metres deep. The animal was very young. The fire crew reached the deer and brought it back to shore. We rushed to get it under a heat lamp in the sheep shed.”
Dean Hastie is watch manager of Blue Watch Barnstaple. He said: “We launched a rescue boat with three crew members wearing drysuits. We took the motor off the boat and paddled out to the calf. We managed to scoop it up into the boat and wrapped it in a sheet.”
Mr Sharpe said unfortunately, the calf died not long after the rescue. He said: “Wild deer are not great with human contact. It was also very cold and scared. It’s very sad and we are not sure how it got stuck in the silt. It is an unusual place for it to try and cross.”
Mr Sharpe has worked at Arlington Court for 13 years and said he hasn’t dealt with a situation like this before.
Comments
by skareggae72
Wednesday, January 09 2013, 12:58AM
“Incredible amount of silt,how about installing a catch pit at the river/rivers access point? i am sure the deer calf was not expecting that depth and was probably following its elders who made it across.”