Spokeswoman for Kadoorie Farm, where the deer was taken, said the animal was ‘quite critical’ and showing signs of shock
UPDATED : Thursday, 17 March, 2016, 12:11pm
A barking deer stuck in pavement railings in Sai Kung was freed in a rescue operation on Wednesday that involved firefighters and an animal welfare officer.
The injured animal – a male juvenile – was receiving treatment at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden on Wednesday night. Its condition was said to be “quite critical”.
The deer was spotted by a female passer-by shortly before 7am on Wednesday after its neck became struck between two metal bars of the fence outside Hiram’s Villa at the junction of Hiram’s Highway and Clear Water Bay Road.
It is thought the animal rammed into the fence after it was frightened by a vehicle as it crossed the road.
A fire engine was sent to the scene and an inspector from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was called in.
Firemen covered the animal with a towel and cut one of the two bars to free the animal from the railings. According to the fire department, the operation ended shortly before 8am.
The injured deer was then taken to Kadoorie Farm near Tai Po.
The deer sustained scraping injuries and bruising to both its flanks after getting trapped in the roadside railing, according to the farm.
“He has mild abrasions of the hind hooves possibly due to scraping on the tarmac in an attempt to free himself,” a spokeswoman for the farm said.
“His condition is quite critical and his blood shows the first signs of capture myopathy [animal shock].”
The spokeswoman said the animal received fluids on Wednesday and the farm’s veterinarian would later reassess its condition.
In 2004, a barking deer died hours after firemen freed it from pavement railings in Tai Po.
Watch: Have you seen all of Hong Kong's wild animals?
http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1926260/hong-kong-barking-deer-freed-roadside-railing-sai
