Trending

Firefighter hydrates distressed deer found in home after hurricane

The Key deer is an endangered deer that lives only in the Florida Keys. It is the smallest North American deer.

After Hurricane Irma not only are the people of the Florida Keys in need of help, but also the wildlife.

>> Read more trending news

A fire crew helping with the recovery efforts in the Keys stumbled upon a deer inside a damaged home, according to the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners.

FIREFIGHTER HELPS DISTRESSED KEY DEER

This morning a fire crew from Delray Beach Fire Department was surveying some damaged residential structures as part of a Strike Team and came across a weakened Key deer inside. "I don't know who was more startled the deer or me," said Lieutenant Nicholas Johnson, who is part of the Strike team but works for Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue. "I am just glad to not only help the residents, but the wildlife as well." After four hand fed bottles of water, the buck gathered enough strength to run off. DISCLAIMER: This is an extraordinary circumstance involving a distressed deer and a trained first responder. Residents of the Florida Keys should contact Florida Fish and Wildlife if they come across a deer in distress.

Posted by Monroe County BOCC on Monday, September 18, 2017

“I don't know who was more startled myself or the deer,” Broward Sheriff's Office Department of Fire Rescue Lt. Nicholas Johnson said. “It looked a little thirsty, but I couldn’t believe how many bottles of water it drank.”

The crew fed the deer four bottles before it ran away, according to the Monroe County BOCC.

Johnson explained that the storm surge "took out" a lot of the Keys freshwater supplies and the freshwater it has is "all mixed up with saltwater."

So, while Johnson, a trained responder, fed the animal bottled water, Monroe County BOCC tells residents not to do the same. The board is encouraging people to contact Florida Fish and Wildlife if they come across a deer in distress.