Roe rescued by RSPCA from football net tangle in West Sussex
A deer had to be cut free after getting completely tangled in a football net in West Sussex.
RSPCA animal welfare officer Marie Stevens was called to Nuthurst, Horsham, on Thursday morning (13 August).
Watch the full rescue video here:
Marie said: “It was an ‘Oh deer’ moment for this youngster when he realised he’s better playing in the back roe than in goal!"
Luckily for this little one, Marie was able to cut him free, carry him to a safe part of the garden and release him back into the wild.
“Thankfully this guy wasn’t injured and hadn’t done himself any damage. But netting can be lethal for animals. Many people don’t realise how dangerous netting is to animals so we want to raise awareness and hopefully stop animals from being injured - sometimes fatally - after getting caught up.”
In some instances, fox cubs have strangled themselves to death because they have been trying to free themselves. It doesn’t take too long with them thrashing about trying to escape before they become seriously trapped and are then unable to free themselves.
“If animals are caught in nets and go unnoticed even for a short time, they can really suffer. The tighter the net gets, it can cut off the blood supply to their limbs, damage bones where they have tried to frantically escape, or worst of all, they could be strangled to death,” Marie added.
When the RSPCA receives a call from a member of the public about an animal tangled in netting, it is classed as an emergency and the nearest RSPCA officer is tasked to go and rescue the animal.
If they can free the animal themselves they will carefully cut away the netting before checking the animal over. If there are no problems, then they are immediately released back into the wild. However, there are instances where the animal is so severely tangled that they have to be sedated and taken to a wildlife centre or vet for all of the netting to be cut away.
If you see an animal tangled in netting, do not try to free them yourself - call the RSPCA immediately on 0300 1234 999.