Deer left trapped in football net in Burnley garden
The RSPCA has urged people to pack away football gear following the incident
The RSPCA has urged people to pack away their football equipment after a deer was left trapped in a football net in a garden in Burnley.
The charity received a call from a member of the public after they found that a male fallow deer was caught on their property.
Representatives from the animal welfare charity attended the scene and found that the deer had managed to get its head wrapped around the net of a football goal.
According to the RSPCA, the deer was seen thrashing itself around and pulling the goal posts hoping to free itself.
Officers from nearby Kirklees Valley Wildlife Rescue were also called to deal with the incident, who worked to cut the deer free from the net.
The deer was eventually released into the surrounding woodland, and was deemed to be completely uninjured.
Speaking on the incident, Stephen Wickham from the RSPCA - who attended the incident - said that people should be more considerate to how their environment affects animals.
"It’s very distressing for timid wild animals like deer to find themselves stuck like this so we knew we’d have to work fast to free him. Patrick’s assistance was invaluable as it meant one of us could support the deer’s head while the other quickly cut off the netting.
“Deer are particularly susceptible to stress and in many cases they don’t survive for very long after being trapped due to stress-induced muscle breakdown, so in some instances it is kinder and the best option for animal welfare to put them to sleep to prevent the risk of a painful death hours later.
“After a careful assessment it was very good news that on this occasion we were able to release the deer back into the wild.
“Football nets provide hours of fun for humans but as this incident highlights, they can be very dangerous for wild animals if they’re left out. As mammals frequently get trapped during the night, they may have been struggling for many hours by the time they are found in the morning and often need veterinary attention and sedation to cut them free.
“Getting tangled up in netting - whether it’s used for sport, fencing or the garden - is very stressful for an animal, particularly one that’s wild. Everyone can do their bit to help wildlife and something as simple as putting a football net up when it's not in use can save a life.”