Wildlife rescuers in the US state of Michigan tracked down and freed a young deer that had been roaming the area for more than a week with a plastic pumpkin-shaped bucket stuck on its head, the website infohub.kz reports.
The animal, with the bright plastic container covering its muzzle, was spotted shortly after Halloween. The candy bucket had tightly covered the buck's nose and jaws, preventing it from eating and drinking properly. Local residents reported the deer's movements on social media, but they were unable to get close to the skittish animal for about ten days.
The search operation ended at Hines Park near the city of Westland. Volunteers from the Detroit Animal Welfare Group tracked the emaciated animal into thick brush. To get within dart-gun range, the rescuers had to cross a thigh-deep river of icy water four times and negotiate steep clay slopes.
The specialists sedated the deer with a safe dose of tranquilizer and removed the plastic container. Veterinarians found it was dehydrated, administered supportive fluids and attached a special tag to its ear warning hunters about the drugs that had been given. Once the sedative wore off, the buck quickly recovered and ran off into the forest.