On Tuesday (7th October) founder Trevor Weeks was called away from a collection at Tesco's in Eastbourne to deal with a deer reported as injured and in a tributary of the River Uck at Uckfield close to the Rugby pitch. Trevor who had taken the day off work to help all day at a collection of vital funds at Tesco's in Lottbridge Drove Eastbourne had to leave and find replacement volunteers in order to help the deer and continue raising funds.
Trevor helped by rescuers Tony Neads and Kathy Martyn were able to find the deer which had managed to get out of the tributary but become entangled in brambles closeby. The young female fallow deer about 4 months old put up a fight to be caught but with experience the rescuers managed to subdue the deer and calm it down quickly. The rescuers had to carry the deer over half a mile back to and across the rugby pitch to one of WRAS's veterinary ambulances where it was taken to Horsebridge Vets for specialist treatment.
"We could smell infection when we caught the deer and one of the wounds had a wound which had fly egs and maggots in. The deer clearly would have died from scepticemia if we had not caught it. There were puncture marks to the rear legs and to one of the front legs and on closer inspection by a vet thought to be dog bites. One wound was right down to the bone." explained Trevor Weeks.
The deer was cleaned up and its wounds treated but due to the recovery time and concern over the circulation in the rear legs the deer was transported up to the specialist deer unit at St Tiggywinkles in Buckinghamshire.
Vounteers from East Sussex WRAS will be at Eastbourne Arndale Centre on Saturday 18th October to try and raise more funds to help cover the costs of the current rescues. "We have dealt with over 2600 incidents so far this year which is more than last year in total and we are still short of funds as a result of this huge workload" said Trevor, " we really need help to ensure we can continue helping wildlife. This deer will have cost WRAS over £200 in veterinary, rescue and transport costs."
"We have had a good success rate with deer this year working with St Tiggywinkles and really appreciate their help and support" said Trevor, "I just hope we can continue to help save them. Please come along to the Arndale Centre on the 18th and bring along your old mobile phone too so we can recycle it and raise money for WRAS. I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped with the collection at Tesco's and to everyone who donated money."
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Press Contact: Trevor Weeks, East Sussex WRAS, 07931 523958
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