Greenock Telegraph - June 21, 2006
Young buck loses out to stag do rival
A HEARTBROKEN deer that jumped into the Clyde after losing a battle of love was saved from drowning following an emergency rescue operation.
The year-old buck was spotted swimming frantically in the Clyde, off The Esplanade in Greenock, on Sunday afternoon — after being the loser in a fight with an older stag earlier in the day.
The out of luck roe-meo was exhausted and was just minutes away from perishing in the chilly water.
However, luck was on his side and as soon as members of the public raised the alarm, Greenock Coastguard swung into action, as did representatives from Hessilhead Wildlife Trust and Glasgow Humane Society.
Gay Christie, from the trust, told the Tele: "After we got the phone call we asked George Parsonage from Glasgow Humane Society to help by bringing his boat.
"When we got there the deer was on the corner of the beach at the Esplanade, but as soon as we tried to net him he went in again.
"He swam across to where a couple of boats were and we managed to get hold of him behind the boats. We sedated him because he was very stressed.
"We didn't bring him back to the centre because he was not injured. We took him to the hills at the back of Greenock, gave him an antidote and released him. We are quite pleased it ended up a happy story."
It is unclear exactly how the deer came to be in the water, but Gay believes the most likely scenario is that he was chased there by rutting stags.
She said: "At this time of year, a lot of young male deer are chased away by the older bucks — it's territorial. I guess he was chased from woodlands."