It’s not uncommon to see deer swimming from one island to another in Southeast Alaska. But last week Alaska Wildlife Troopers out of Ketchikan discovered two Sitka blacktail deer far from shore and evidently quite exhausted, having overestimated their long-distance swimming abilities. One of the deer approached the Troopers’ boat and swam right to the swim step to ask for a lift.
The troopers loaded the shivering deer onto their boat and gave the animals a lift to the next island, where they released them onto the beach.
According to the wildlife trooper narrating the reel, the troopers were in the middle of Clarence Strait, which separates Prince of Wales Island on the west side, from Revillagigedo Island and Annette Island, on the east side, when they discovered the deer four miles from the nearest shore.
The Case of the Dog-Paddling Deer made for some of the best law enforcement recruiting video in America. Watch it here:
See the video at the Alaska State Troopers’ Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/reel/859897198716008?mibextid=kcDB8O
