LART responded with help from the Charleston County Sheriff's Office Deputies, Traffic Division, Marine Patrol and Animal Control, City of Charleston Officers, Marine Patrol and Animal Services, Charleston County Rescue Squad and Emergency Preparedness Department to a deer stranded in spoil material on Clouter Island in the Cooper River.
The Deer had been reported the previous day, but Animal Control Officials from the Sheriff's Office, Charleston and North Charleston Animal Control were unable to locate the deer due to lack of information that was provided by only a few callers. On the morning of October 17th, 911 received more calls about the deer and units were again dispatched and located the deer.
Deer had been known to cross the rivers and graze on the banks of the island, however this deer became a victim of the dredged spoil material on Clouter Island.
Marine Officers accessed the island via boats and located the deer near the Don Holt bridge. LART was activated by the Sheriff's Office and responded to the Island via Boats from the Rescue Squad.
Clouter Island is used as a spoil collection area for dredged material from the Cooper River and spoil is...NASTY! It had a two to three inch crust over a sticky pudding like material, and once you broke the crust you sank and would then have to crawl a ways to find an area thick enough to support you again.
Once we got to deputies near the deer, under the bridge, we found that they were standing on target material other deputies had dropped down to them to spread their weight and keep them from sinking. While in route wood had been requested by LART Team members. When the sheets of wood arrived it was used to make a bridge out to the deer.
When Rescuers got close the deer was lassoed and then additional wood was placed beside the deer. One rescuer then took the deer by the horns, so to speak, to control him and a sedative was administered by a Animal Control Deputy under a Veterinarians orders. Once the deer was sleeping he was placed in a stokes basket and then on to a Large Animal Rescue Slide and drug to the bridge where Rescue Squad members used Heavy Rescue 8's crane to raise the deer 80 feet on to Interstate 526 which had been shut down for safety until the deer was on the bridge.
The deer was treated by the Veterinary on the bridge and transported to the Vet's office for treatment and evaluation. The deer was released the next day into the National Forest north of Mt. Pleasant.
It was said by many "All that for a Deer". But it was a training experience and many valuable lessons were learned. When the day comes when we have to rescue a person from the spoil of Clouter Island, we will have made all the mistakes the day we rescued the deer!
Photo's by Bill Murton, Chasn PD - Thanks again Bill!
