“Frightening”: Officers restrain deer for more than an hour and a half (Kortrijk)

For two officers from the Vlas police zone, Saturday evening was one they will never forget. A deer was stuck in the garden of the ‘t Hoge residential care center. The duo had to restrain the animal for an hour and a half until the shelter came to pick it up. “More difficult than you might think”

The pants in mud, the face in foam and sweat. Two officers from the Vlas police zone had a hellish intervention on Saturday evening around 10:30 PM. Not a criminal’s wardrobe, but a deer.

Employees at the ‘t Hoge residential care center in Kortrijk noticed just after 8 p.m. that a deer had ended up in the garden. They immediately notified the emergency services who quickly arrived on the scene. Fire brigade and police joined forces to catch the young animal. “Scary, they shouted for me to grab it, but you don’t just do that,” one of the officers testified afterwards.

Rodeo

As if they were in a rodeo, they were able to grab the animal and throw it to the ground. The four of them threw themselves at the fierce rumination, after which, after much arguing, a veterinarian could be called in. This stunned the deer, making it calm. (Read more below the photo)

However, it wasn’t over yet. The Bird and Wild Animal Shelter from Beernem had to come to the scene to pick up the animal. In the meantime, the two officers positioned themselves on the animal. “After a while, the anesthesia started to wear off, causing the animal to sometimes move violently. It was really more difficult than you would think.”

Two meters high

After more than an hour and a half, the two officers were relieved by two colleagues. Another five minutes later, two volunteers from the shelter arrived on the scene. The deer was put in an adapted box, given some medication and taken away. All’s well that ends well after an unusual intervention.

It was also good for the employees of the nursing home that peace returned. How the deer had ended up in their garden was a mystery. “It was also spotted at the neighbors, so it must have jumped over the fence at least two meters high.”