Back in the thicket
MONROE Thanks to the tenacity of the Town of Monroe Highway Department, a little fawn has been reunited with its mother and has returned to its thicket in the woods.
Last Friday, the highway department received a call that a fawn had fallen into a storm drain on Sandra Lane.
The fawns rescue wasnt anything new to the department, according to Highway Superintendent Anthony Rizzo, as over the years the crew has rescued many cats, deer and other creatures who found themselves in perilous dilemmas.
In fact, this was the third deer rescue this year.
10 pounds, three-weeks old We responded (last Friday) as per a 911 call, said Rizzo, a 30-year volunteer firefighter. Someone heard him crying in the neighborhood and called 911. We rescue all kinds of animals. We have machinery to lift and assist the fire department with heavy lifting.
The little deer weighed maybe 10 pounds and was about three-weeks old, Rizzo estimated.
You could tell by the little whiney sounds he was making that he missed his mom, Rizzo said. We looked around but couldnt find his mom around. She hid somewhere but we tried to locate the mother. Usually in a case like that the mother runs and watches from a distance.
With three volunteer firefighters who coincidentally are also highway department members and with police assistance, the team began its impromptu rescue with the help of a backhoe.
Bill Brown operated the backhoe and John Scherne went down into the storm drain to lift the fawn up and out.
It took us about 20 minutes to use backhoe to lift up the grate so no one, or the fawn, would get hurt, said Rizzo. He was really calm and very receptive to people handling him. John put him down and he scampered off. He went on his merry way.
Afterward, the crew followed him for a short time to make sure he wasnt injured. The men didnt see the fawn reunite with its mother but assumed they have met up.
Bambis out there doing whatever he does, Rizzo added.
Just too many out there All fun aside, Rizzo said the fawns rescue and release was a good drill opportunity for the highway and fire departments. Often times, the highway department is called upon to remove dead or severely injured animals from the roadways, so to help return a live animal to its natural habitat is gratifying.
It is a feel good moment, we get that way in every situation we do, he said. I think rewarding is a better word. Our highway department is here to assist the fire district in any way we can. Ive been involved in volunteer fire and rescue for 30 years. Its good to pull someone or something alive out of anything, anytime. When we have something alive, whether animal or human, it makes our job a little more rewarding.
And as a highway chief and volunteer firefighter, Rizzo reminded motorists to be cautious on the roads.
Theres a lot of deer out there this year, he added. We tell people to drive with caution. Theres just too many out there.
- Nancy Kriz