Animal rescue frees deer from plastic Halloween bucket

Free at last!

With the help of a South Lyon animal rescue, a Bloomfield Township, Michigan deer was released from a plastic Halloween bucket that had been trapped over its nose and mouth for at least 10 days.

“He was getting desperate,” said Heather Ineich of South Lyon Murphy Animal Rescue, noting that Bloomfield homeowners Amber Ficarro and Scott Frazho captured photos of the deer knocking the bucket that held him captive against their door and windows.

The homeowners and animal rescuers nicknamed the deer Bucky.

Residents in the area of Telegraph and Square Lake roads area had seen the young buck in the neighborhood and called the township’s Animal Control Division for help.

Animal Control Officer Chris Baumann said he couldn’t catch the deer, so he called the rescue.

Ineich said she set up cameras in Ficarro and Frazho’s yard and found that Bucky was a frequent visitor.

With the help of fellow rescuers Rick and Kim Canalas of Monroe, Ineich set up a drop net made specifically for large animals like deer and elk. They put food out.

The first day, Bucky was a no-show.

The next day, he was hanging out in the yard all day, knocking on the door and windows as if he were asking for help, Ineich said. That evening, he tripped the net.

As Bucky flailed around, the rescuers cut the bucket’s strap, which was hooked on the nubs on his head, the beginnings of antlers. They released the net and Bucky quickly fled.

With little means to eat or drink for days, Ineich said she was concerned about Bucky using what little energy he had to run away from people who were trying to help.

There was also a concern that he could fall to capture myopathy, experienced by wildlife under the stress of being pursued.

“Basically, they get scared to death,” she said.

Ineich said she added “Murphy” to the rescue’s title in honor of a German shepherd that was given that name. Murphy got hit by a car and her group rescued it.