Animal rescuers find 'Christmas' buck trapped in rare circumstances: 'This serves as a good reminder'
Rescuers in Northern California are searching for a deer that was found trapped in an unusual — and holiday-specific — predicament.
The buck, which was spotted in Marin County, just north of San Francisco, became completely entangled in a series of Christmas lights, according to the Marin Humane Society.
The organization posted photos of the animal on its Facebook page Monday, adding that they had so far been unable to capture it and remove the lights. The post also issued a warning to would-be holiday decorators.
"This serves as a good reminder that when hanging holiday decorations, make sure they're secure and high enough where they're less likely to be an issue for wildlife," the post read. "We're lucky to share our space with so many animals in Marin County so let's be mindful of their safety, even when we're getting festive!"
It's unclear exactly how the buck became so tangled in lights, but the humane society said it believes they will fall off when the animal sheds its antlers. Deer typically shed their antlers during the winter before growing them back in the summer, according to the hunting website Wide Open Spaces.
Still, some social media users wondered why rescuers didn't take a different approach to capture the buck. One Facebook commenter suggested they tried tranquilizing the deer, which Marin Human said was not feasible.
"It’s much too dangerous to use a tranquilizer on this deer," Marin Humane responded on Facebook. "He’s in a populated area and could easily jump out into traffic before it takes effect, putting both him and the public in danger."
The organization's original post noted how hard it had been to try capturing the deer in the first place.
"Catching deer is extremely difficult and catching a buck is even trickier," the Facebook post read. "Our officers would have to use a control pole to get a handle on him, which leaves them open to the risk of being charged and injured."
Marin Humane added that the deer is "still able to graze and run just fine" and that they'd continue to monitor the situation going forward.
Deer getting their antlers stuck in Christmas lights its rare, but it's not unheard of. In September, a deer was spotted in Idaho running around with holiday lights stuck on its antlers, although it's unclear where it encountered Christmas decorations so early in the year.
Last month, a photographer in Michigan spotted another kind of rare buck: A three-antlered deer. That animal, which some called a "one in a million" find, quickly went viral after photos of the creature were shared on Facebook.
