By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
The Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department (MVFD) responded to an animal rescue call on Lake Shore Drive Thursday, Jan. 7, around 10:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found a deer stranded on the ice. After donning appropriate gear, firefighters ventured out on the ice to assess the situation. They found the deer had a broken left back leg and would need to be put down.
The newspaper responded to the site and took a photo of the deer, but decided it would be too distressing for some of our readers to see it, so we are not publishing it.
Andrew Gorniac of Long Meadow Road said he called for help after he looked out his window this morning and saw something in the middle of the pond. At first he didn’t know what it was; then he realized it was a deer. He was on the scene, hoping to see the animal rescued.
He said about five years ago a deer died on the the ice. “The coyotes came from both sides of the pond and ate the carcass,” he said. “Then they dragged what was left off the ice so by the end of the day nothing was left on the ice.”
Deputy Fire Marshal Brian Proulx also was on the scene. He said, “The deer sustained injuries that kept the fire department from rescuing it. Even if we did rescue it, it would have to be euthanized.”
However, as we post this story, conversation on the fire department scanner indicates firefighters are back on the ice attempting to rescue the deer.
