Uckfield: Deer becomes tangled in rope at golf course

The grounds team at East Sussex National Golf Course, in Uckfield, kept people away from the young fallow buck before East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (ESWRAS) arrived.

The five rescuers launched a net at the deer to restrict its movement before performing a leg-grab manoeuvre to secure it.

It was then that work began on cutting the rope from the antlers.

Rescuers working to save the deer. (Image: Supplied)

“There were several iron poles which were attached to the rope which were close to the head and face. We had to be very careful that these did not cause the deer any injury,” said ESWRAS founder Trevor Weeks

“It was really important that we cut away everything so the deer didn’t run off with anything attached. It could cause the deer to become entangle again or even during the rut become attached to another deer as we experienced at High Hurst Wood only a couple of months ago.”

The deer was freed within six minutes of rescuers arriving on the scene.

Deer need to be cut free within half an hour of rescuers initial approach to avoid the risk of the deer suffering a heart attack or the long term effects of capture myopathy.

“We are often asked why we don’t sedate such casualties, this would only be used as a last resort or for safety reasons,” said Trevor.

It took just six minutes to free the deer. (Image: Supplied)

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“Sadly this doesn’t help much and will cause additional delays prolong the rescue, require ear tagging on release and add to the stress on the deer, as well as encouraging capture myopathy.

ESWRAS is a community charity which relies on donations to fund its rescues.

The charity will be operational over the Christmas period but with a reduced crew expected to look after around 125 casualties, which will still require care on Christmas Day, Boxing and into New Year.