New Jersey State Trooper Rescues Drowning Deer From Swimming Pool
HARMONY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) -- A New Jersey State trooper is receiving some much-deserved praise for a very unusual rescue.
Police protect and save lives everyday. But when Trooper Dwayne Phillips began his shift on Friday he probably didn't expect to be saving the life of a drowning deer. But that's exactly what he did, and now the buck is once again running free.
New Jersey State Police said on Facebook that Trooper Phillips was dispatched to a home in Harmony Township, Warren County when a worker discovered a deer drowning in a swimming pool. When Trooper Phillips arrived, it was clear that the buck had been struggling for quite some time.
"Now believe it or not, we don't necessarily teach recruits in the academy how to rescue drowning deer," state police said on Facebook, "but we do teach them how to think on their feet and adapt and improvise when a peculiar situation presents itself."
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So what did he do?
According to the Facebook post, Trooper Phillips grabbed the buck by its rack and pulled him from the water to safety.
"There is always the possibility of serious injury or worse when trying to rescue a drowning victim and even more so when the victim is a wild animal," state police said. "But this trooper did an outstanding job."
State police said the deer was so exhausted that he hunkered down on the ground for some time before he could regain enough energy to even stand. But police were happy to report the buck eventually recovered and ran off.
