Deer is freed from Shoreview lake's muck, but there's no happy ending

Workers freed an animal from deep muck in a Shoreview lake but the shock proved too much.

Star Tribune

Last update: July 9, 2009 - 11:39 PM

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A deer stuck up to its neck in the muck of a depleted Ramsey County lake was freed in a lengthy rescue operation Thursday afternoon, but the effort ended on a sad note when the distraught animal had to be destroyed.

The doe had gone into "severe shock," which leads to muscle damage, and had to be put down, said Dr. Leslie Reed, a veterinarian at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville, where the animal was taken around 2 p.m.

Rescue workers from Ramsey County Water Patrol and other agencies needed more than 45 minutes to remove the young deer from the north side of Snail Lake in Shoreview.

Lance Hill, who has lived near Snail Lake for 21 years said a handful of law-enforcement boats and two rescue workers tried in vain to get to the animal, but they also "got hung up in the mud." It wasn't until a hovercraft arrived that rescuers could get close enough to free the deer and bring it to shore, where 30 to 40 people had gathered with binoculars and cameras.

Reed estimated that the animal was two to four years old. It had a month-old fracture of the right rear leg, she said, which probably was a factor in why it got stuck and was unable to free itself.

The doe had a fawn and was lactating, according to Reed. It's common for another lactating doe to take in a fawn separated from its mother.

Snail Lake has been subjected to a drawdown in an effort to prevent a zebra mussel infestation, leaving behind a mucky terrain.

"It's like quicksand when you get in that stuff," said Hill.

PAUL WALSH