Helicopter Blows Deer Trapped On Ice To Safety

A struggling deer stranded on thin ice in Canada has been rescued by a quick-thinking helicopter pilot.

The stricken animal and her fawn were trapped in Antigonish Harbour, Nova Scotia, with the mother slipping and sliding each time she tried to move.

Rescuers would have fallen through the brittle salt-water ice had they launched a conventional rescue attempt.

Experienced pilot David Farrell devised a cunning plan to blow the deer across the ice to safety using the wind created by his helicopter's rotor blades.

Realising the frightened animal was in serious danger if he didn't act, the pilot put his plan into action.

Mr Farrell told the Canadian TV station CTV: "As long as you can keep that deer moving along the ice, it tends to calm down. I don't know if it understands we're trying to help or, I don't know what's going through its mind, but it works good."

The inventive rescue mission was caught on camera by local resident Ian Waugh.

Mr Waugh sparked the rescue mission when he alerted the Department of Natural Resources to the deer's predicament. He told CTV: "I was waiting for all kinds of different things, but that solution I was not prepared for, and I thought, just brilliant."

But Mr Farrell played down talk that his actions made him a hero, saying he was just doing his duty as a pilot.

"You can do it a thousand times and it shows up on camera once, and then you can appreciate what you're doing, spur of the moment. It's your job."