Whitehorse Daily Star

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NUMBING DEATH AVERTED – the deer is seen above trapped last Sunday in the Yukon River in the Golden Horn area. Photos courtesy ENVIRONMENT YUKON

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Photo by Photo Submitted

Its life saved, the animal is seen with its rescuers. Photos courtesy ENVIRONMENT YUKON

‘It’s difficult to leave an animal in distress like that,’ CO declares

Ken Knutson received a call last Sunday afternoon

By Rhiannon Russell on January 30, 2015

Ken Knutson received a call last Sunday afternoon: a deer had fallen through the ice on the Yukon River near Golden Horn.

A local resident was walking his dog when he found the animal, its back end in the water, struggling to stay on top of the ice.

He called Environment Yukon’s TIPP line.

Conservation officer Knutson gathered up his gear and headed down there on a snowmobile.

He did a risk assessment first. Using an ice pick, he tested the water’s depth near shore. About 10 feet out, it only looked knee-high. After that, he couldn’t determine the depth.

With a chainsaw, and the help of another area resident, Knutson cut timbers and laid them on the ice to evenly distribute the weight.

He inched out on the timbers.

“Using a throw bag, I managed to make a loop and throw it around the animal’s head, did some fancy little wrist twists and wrapped it around one of his antlers,” he told the Star this week.

It took two attempts, but the men were able to pull the deer out of the ice.

“He was shivering pretty good, and was having difficulty using his back legs because he’d been in the water I don’t know how long,” Knutson said.

“He was alert but exhausted.... Good on him for hanging on.”

Eventually, the young deer worked its way up to standing.

Knutson, concerned he’d bolt back into the water, waved a stick at him to encourage him to run off in the right direction, back into the trees.

“He wanted to fight with me a little bit,” he said with a laugh.

The men backed off and watched. The deer pawed the snow, then lay down – the snow acting as an insulator and helping him dry off.

He was feisty enough that the CO didn’t think it was necessary to bring him to the wildlife preserve to warm him up. So the men decided to leave and give him time on his own to regain his strength.

The next day, the deer was gone and his tracks led into the woods.

“He might’ve been somebody’s supper the night before had things turned out otherwise,” Knutson said.

He said the department receives “a fair amount” of wildlife-in-distress calls.

Often, when it comes to animals trapped in ice, it’s waterfowl, like swans, which stay late in the season then get stuck.

“Sometimes there’s nothing we can do,” Knutson said.

“This is one of those times it does have a happy ending. It’s maybe a bit of interference, but it’s difficult to leave an animal in distress like that. If we can help out, why not?”

The number for the Yukon TIPP line is 1-800-661-0525, or visit www.env.gov.yk.ca/environment-you/tip.php.

Comments (4)

Up 56 Down 2

BnR on Jan 31, 2015 at 11:32 am

The COs get so much criticism from people saying they aren't doing enough (not killing wolves) or that they are too zealous in what they do (having to get rid of "problem" animals like bears, which are usually created by careless people). This is a perfect example of what kind of guys the COs are. They actually really do care, despite what some may think, and always try to do the best in tough situations.

Up 45 Down 1

Yukon Justice on Jan 30, 2015 at 6:58 pm

Excellent work, thanks a million.

Up 50 Down 1

Good job! on Jan 30, 2015 at 4:32 pm

CO's get a lot of unfair press, nice to see stories like this one

Up 74 Down 2

S. Hall on Jan 30, 2015 at 3:46 pm

Good on you Kutson! Thank You.

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