Wildlife

Police drone helps save three deer that fell through thin ice at Wisconsin lake

The operator used the drone essentially as a sheepdog to herd the deer back to safety.

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Law enforcement in Green Lake, Wisconsin, used drones to help herd three deer to shore after the trio fell through thin ice.

Three deer were rescued after falling through thin ice by a drone, which captured the scene in Wisconsin's Green Lake on video.

At first, the three seemingly exhausted deer stared at the drone as it approached. When the drone got too close for comfort, the agitated deer tried to escape but without much success.

The deer treading in frigid waters could not get on top of the thin ice. The deer struggled to break the ice in front of them, preventing them from moving forward.

That's how the operation by the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office started. The goal was then to use the drone to coax the deer back through the trail of ice they had already broken.

"Two of the deer were successfully herded back through broken ice to shallow water. However, the third doe did not follow suit, and the wind complicated the rescue efforts, pushing ice toward the city," Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

After some more aerial nudging, the third deer approached the shore and was hoisted up with a rope to safety.

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