A white-tailed deer wandering a backyard in Livonia, Michigan, found itself in over its head — literally — on Monday, after it fell through a pool cover and into a swimming pool that had been partially drained for the season.
The deer broke through the secured cover and landed in water too shallow, with sides too steep, for it to climb out on its own, according to the Livonia Fire Department, which responded to the home along with Livonia police. "With the pool partially drained, [it] was unable to get enough footing to climb out," the department wrote in a social media post recounting the rescue, per UPI.
A ladder and a quick exit
Firefighters lowered a ladder into the pool rather than attempting to lift or restrain the animal directly, giving it a path to climb out under its own power. "Once the ladder was in place, the deer successfully rescued itself and ran off, apparently uninjured," the department said.
The department used the rescue to issue a seasonal reminder to homeowners: inspect pool covers regularly for weak spots, especially as deer move more widely in search of food heading into late fall, and consider installing a simple exit ramp that lets any wildlife that falls in find its own way out.
Pool-related wildlife rescues are a recurring, if unpredictable, feature of suburban Michigan autumns, with raccoons, deer and the occasional larger animal turning up in half-covered backyard pools as temperatures drop. Monday's rescue, fire officials said, ended the way most do: with a startled but unharmed animal and a reminder that a secured pool cover is not the same as a deer-proof one.