A deer was saved after becoming trapped upside down beside a shed in Aberdeen.
The roe deer was thought to have leaped over a garden fence on Ruthriehill Road in Dyce and fell between two buildings in the early hours of Friday morning.
The homeowner contacted north-east rescue charity New Arc who rushed to the scene at about 6.30am.
Unable to lift the shed themselves, they contacted the fire service who helped to free the shaken but not seriously hurt animal.
New Arc founder Keith Marley described the situation as a potentially fatal one for the deer.
He said: “When we got there, the deer was trapped between two buildings and its hips were stuck underneath a very heavy old shed.
“I couldn’t get it out myself so phoned the fire brigade who came and responded in a quick and professional fashion.
“They put inflatable pads either side of the animal and I put a loop over its antlers so it didn’t bolt away.
“We got it up and let it out, helped get its feet underneath it before checking it for damage and letting it go.
“If we hadn’t responded so quickly, it could have been dead if left another half an hour.”
The roe deer escaped the incident with minor cuts and damages.
Keith had never seen a deer trapped so precariously in his career and has received an increase of calls about the curious animal recently.
He said: “Because the roads are quieter and there are less people going about, deer have been wandering about more and getting into people’s gardens so we have been getting lots of calls about them.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokeswoman added: “We attended Ruthriehill Road on Friday at 8.15am following reports of a deer trapped between two sheds.
“Crews used airbags, stabilisation equipment and small tools to help release the deer.”
New Arc have been rescuing animals for 14 years and are completely funded by donations.
During the coronavirus pandemic, they have had to close their charity shop and prioritise calls due to them working with minimal staff.
They had plans to build a wildlife hospital but these have been delayed by the ongoing pandemic.
If you would like to donate to New Arc and help them carry on saving animals, visit their website.
