18/08/2026
💔 A heartbreaking call-out for our wildlife ambulance today…
Sadly, this was just one of several calls our team received today involving injured deer.
This young Roe deer — biologically known as a kid, although fawn is also commonly used — had darted into the road and was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
Thankfully, the driver stopped and contacted OWR immediately, allowing our wildlife ambulance team to attend and assess her as quickly as possible.
Tragically, her injuries were catastrophic. She had sustained comminuted fractures — where the bone is broken into multiple pieces — to her hind legs, alongside a spinal fracture and severe head trauma.
There was sadly no possibility of recovery, and she was experiencing significant pain and distress.
Our experienced team therefore made the difficult but necessary decision to humanely euthanise her, bringing her suffering to an immediate end. 💔
It is never the outcome we want.
Our aim will always be to treat, rehabilitate and return wildlife to the wild whenever there is a realistic chance of recovery. But equally important is recognising when an animal has suffered injuries from which it simply cannot recover.
In those situations, preventing further pain and suffering is one of the most important responsibilities we have as a wildlife rescue organisation.
❤️ We would also like to thank the gentleman involved for doing exactly the right thing.
Understandably, he was extremely upset by what had happened and remained with the deer until our team arrived.
Wild animals can behave unpredictably, and sometimes collisions simply cannot be avoided. What matters enormously is what happens afterwards.
He stopped.
He called for help.
He stayed with the animal.
And because he did, this deer was not left suffering alone at the roadside for any longer than necessary.
Sadly, not every injured deer is reported. Some are left badly injured for hours because a driver continues their journey without contacting anyone.
Please — if you hit, witness a collision with, or find an injured deer:
🦌 Stop somewhere safe — never put yourself or other road users in danger.
📍 Record the exact location. A What3Words location can be extremely helpful when directing a rescue team to an animal.
📞 Contact your nearest wildlife rescue organisation as soon as possible.
🚓 If the deer is on or immediately beside a carriageway and presents a danger to traffic, contact the police as well.
You may not always be able to prevent a collision with a wild animal.
But you can control what you do afterwards.
That one phone call could mean the difference between an animal being left frightened and in severe pain for hours… or receiving the urgent help it needs.
Please share this post to help spread awareness. You never know who may find themselves in this situation in the future. 🦌💚
