On Monday, a scary story came to a happy resolution when a fawn in North Olmsted, Ohio found itself stuck inside a sewer grate, requiring a team of officers and local officials to set it free.
According to a recent Facebook post from the North Olmsted Police Department, the owner of local Sittoo’s Restaurant originally reported the trapped baby deer to authorities. He explained that the fawn was “stuck in a sewer grate behind the business” and that it “wasn’t able to free itself.”
Photos posted to the North Olmsted Police Department Facebook page show the fawn stuck in the sewer grate. North Olmsted Police Department/FacebookA crew of officers headed to the scene, along with employees from the city’s Service Department. Eventually, “they were able to work together to free the baby.”
Photos posted to Facebook show the heartbreaking scene, in which the baby deer is found with the lower half of its body trapped in the grate. Its front legs rest bent on the ground next to its head.
The caption explained that the officers present were “camera shy,” but two photos show the fawn, post-rescue, being held by another individual who was present for the rescue. The deer appears quite small—one commenter even mentioned that it looked “really weak”—and its body fits comfortably in the man’s hands while its lanky legs dangle below.
The fawn’s mom reportedly remained nearby, waiting patiently for her baby. As the police department explained in their Facebook post, “The mother stood by around the corner just feet away as everyone worked to help.” Once the fawn was freed, the doe “was extremely thankful to be reunited with her young one.”
They also added that “normally…[North Olmsted Police] [tells] people to leave baby deer alone if they find them.” However, this case seemed to be an exception to the rule, as the creature needed an extra bit of assistance from human hands.
In less than 24 hours, the Facebook post has received over a thousand reactions and dozens of comments and shares, many of which expressed relief that the fawn is safe and gratitude towards those involved in the rescue.
“This is a wonderful story. I am so glad the mom understood they were helping,” wrote commenter Sue Cary.
Another commenter, Cheryl Blevins wrote that the story made her “so proud to have grown up in N. Olmsted.”
Last month, footage of a cat and fawn’s unlikely friendship went viral on TikTok. Many viewers joked that the clip, featuring the two creatures gently nuzzling, appeared to be straight out of a Disney movie. So far, the video has been viewed over 1.2 million times.