Deer rescued from septic tank

A deer had to be rescued by fire crews after falling into a septic tank. Fire crews were called at 7.45am on Saturday to a property in Drybrook in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, and took two hours to rescue the animal.



The crews from Cinderford and Gloucester North were assisted by the RSPCA and Vale Wildlife Rescue and to remove the male fallow deer from the tank. When it was found, the deer was up to his ears in human sewage.



Scott Passmore, who runs an animal rescue service in the Forest of Dean, A Wildlife With Animals, also helped with the rescue. He said: "He was a very lucky deer because it could've been completely different. When he came out he was surprisingly clean. He had started to shake with the stress, but he was not in pain.



"We just didn't want him to swallow any of the fluid. We don't know how he fell in the tank. There could've been a gap he fell through or he was standing on a cover which broke. This should be a reminder to keep your septic tanks safe. If a child had fallen in there I hate to think what would have happened."