News

Firefighters remove dead deer from ice

By Angeljean Chiaramida
Staff writer
Published: January 13, 2009

WEST NEWBURY — Firefighters twice last week recovered the body of a dead deer from the ice on the Artichoke Reservoir. They took the actions to prevent concerned bystanders from possibly falling through the ice in an attempt to attend to the animals themselves.

According the West Newbury fire Chief Rock Dower, he and other town officials took numerous calls from people distressed when they saw the deer on the ice. People thought the deer were alive, he said, and firefighters performed two preventive recovery missions to ensure good Samaritans wouldn't attempt to rescue the deer.

"The ice on the reservoir is tricky because it doesn't really freeze hard, and we don't like to go out there unless we have to," Dower said yesterday. "Friday was the second time in a week we went out. Both times the deer was already dead."

Dower said the deer could have ended up on the ice for any number of reasons. They could have wandered out there on their own and gotten stranded, he said, or they could have been wounded during the recent deer hunting season, or even been driven out there by predators.

Under normal circumstances, Dower said, nature would have eventually disposed of the carcasses, as carnivores, like coyotes and eagles, would have eaten the deer.

"Coyote had already gotten to the deer," he said. "But we didn't want people or children distressed about the situation or seeing the coyote at the deer. So we went to recover the deer safely."

During the first recovery, which Dower believes was last Monday, the deer's body was far out on the ice. The Haverhill harbormaster helped local rescuers by using the city's air boat to access the carcass.

The second recovery was Friday, Dower said, and the deer's body wasn't far from shore. Firefighters used the town's small ice rescue sled to retrieve the deer.

"I contacted our deputy, Steve Arnold, and he took care of it," Dower said. "He told me it actually turned out to be a good exercise. Although it was gross, he told me it was a good ice rescue drill."