 Coastguards said the rescue was one of the most unusual |
A stricken deer has been rescued from the sea by lifeguards after its cries for help were heard as it struggled to reach the shore. Solent Coastguard spotted the animal and alerted three lifeguards working at Sandbanks beach at Poole, Dorset.
It is thought the deer was trying to swim across 800m of sea from Brownsea Island, in the middle of Poole Harbour, to the mainland.
The animal was left shaken but was put in the care of the RSPCA.
Coastguards said the rescue, on Wednesday, was one of the lifeguard service's most unusual.
'Strong swimmer'
The area's lifeguard manager, Barry Heathfield, said: "We don't get many animals coming ashore here so it is quite unusual for us.
"We think the deer swam across from Brownsea Island or possibly from Studland.
"Either way it's a good 800m, so he must have been a really strong swimmer to make it that far.
"I'm just glad our guys reached him in time and got him safely ashore."
The RNLI launched the Beach Lifeguards scheme in 2002, and it has since grown to cover 57 beaches throughout Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.
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