Three deer have a new lease on life after spending a chilly Tuesday night stranded on Lake Nosbonsing.
Several residents took action Wednesday to save them after it was clear they couldn’t make it to shore by themselves despite the mild weather.
Brigitte Perron-Ranger said she got a call Tuesday from Ginette Souliere about the deer, which were huddled 200 metres between Perron Island and her property.
"I thought I'd have to look out (the living room window) and see it over and over again," Souliere said, adding she called Perron because she's known as very resourceful and knew her dad, Paul-Emile, is closely connected to the Nosbonsing Anglers and Hunters, located across from Perron's TimberMart.
"Everybody said the coyotes will get them and to let nature take its course," Souliere said, noting that wasn't something she wanted to see.
"It's pretty hard when it's right in front of here," she said.
Perron said she called a few cousins to see if they could assist and they assessed the situation, weighing the risks and benefits of going out on less than three-inches of ice.
It was decided on Tuesday that the milder temperatures expected overnight might help the deer get a grip with their hooves but it was clear in the morning they were not able to move, she said.
Andrew Howe and Ryan Carr led the rescue around noon with a flat-bottomed boat borrowed from Justin Perron. They launched from Souliere’s property.
Wearing lifejackets and with one foot each in the boat, Howe and Carr managed to get the deer in the boat, with other volunteers Chris Ranger, Gilles Souliere and Dave Brown pulling the boat back with ropes.
“It was a team effort,” said Ranger with Howe explaining they wanted to help if they could.
“We were just trying to see what we could do,” Howe said, noting the deer now have a chance. Ranger said they jokingly call Carr the “deer whisperer” now.
“They are pretty stressed right now,” Howe said, explaining they’ll need rest and a bit of luck to survive.
Karrie Warner posted photos of the rescue on the East Ferris Post It Facebook Page, referring to the volunteers as “some real-life heroes” and it had 212 likes within hours.
Among the nearly 60 comments was a big thank you with a heart emoji from Ginette Souliere: “My heart goes to you guys, thanks.”
Souliere told BayToday she's "glad it turned out fine. I can go to bed and not worry now."
Dave Dale is a Local Journalism Reporter with BayToday.ca. LJI is funded by the Government of Canada.
