With five deer rescues in five weeks, it is thought quieter roads could be one cause for wild animals venturing further into urban areas across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
The RSPCA has been rescuing more deer from urban areas in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire during lockdown then they would expect to deal with for the whole year.
In the latest incident a deer was spotted running around the Hyson Green area of Nottingham and there was concern the animal was going to cause a road traffic accident because she was running around frightened by vehicles and people in the area (pictured).
Police officers were called to the scene and managed to contain the exhausted female roe deer in the Asda car park in Radford Road until the RSPCA arrived, on Monday June 1.
Simon Parker, RSPCA chief inspector for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, was sent to assist and sedated the deer before taking her to a safe woodland location where she was safely released back into the wild.
This is the fifth time Simon has been called out to help deer which have become trapped in urban environments during lockdown.
On May 24 he was called to help return a roe to the wild after it was spotted on CCTV in the grounds of Mansfield Police Station.
Officer said officers had “no idea” how the animal got into the compound, which is surrounded by a 6ft (1.8 metre) fence and again the deer was sedated and returned to nearby woods.
Deer are becoming more common in urban environments across the UK, for example they are being seen more frequently in gardens, golf courses, roads and railway lines, following the expansion or urban developments into the countryside.
If left alone by people, deer and other wild animals can often find their way out of being stuck in unfamiliar environments, so if an animal is safe to be left we will advise it is left to find it’s own way home. But sometimes, like in the case of these deer, if they are in severe distress they may need a little extra help from animal rescue organisations like the RSPCA.
More information about deer is available here: https://www.rspca.org.uk/
