Buck Up Fellas!

I left Mish looking after the house and set off for a quick visit to my sister's in Burnham-on-Crouch as my sister from France has been staying with her and leaves tomorrow.

As I approached North Weald on the A414 I was shocked to see a fallow deer buck injured and struggling in the road. All the other vehicles were just driving round it. I put my hazards on and jumped out of the car to try and get it to the verge. It had a badly broken leg. I managed to help it get a bit closer to the side of the road. The traffic was whizzing past and I was gesturing for help with tears running down my cheeks but nobody was taking any notice. 

Eventually a young man in work gear stopped and then another couple of older men stopped too. Between us we got the deer onto the verge. It was struggling violently and it took all of us to prevent it falling into a very deep ditch. The young man put a webbing strap round it to restrain it. They called the police.

When the officers arrived the woman asked if we had a blanket to cover its eyes. None of us had so we covered it with my jacket.   

When I first got out of the car I was hoping that it might be just stunned. I've had a deer run out in front of me very near here before. I was unable to avoid hitting it but it jumped up and ran off. I knew as soon as I saw the leg injury on this one that it would have to be destroyed. I wanted to make sure this was done quickly and humanely.

The men left but I wanted to stay. The police explained that my car was a hazard on the busy road. They promised me that they would make sure that the beast was despatched compassionately. We shook on it.

I cried for much of the journey to my sister's but by the time I arrived my tears had turned to rage. What is wrong with people? Why did so many people turn a blind-eye to an old, grey-haired woman, clearly in distress, who was trying to prevent an injured animal suffering further trauma? Also of course the deer, if left struggling in the road, could have caused an accident.

It was therapy for me chatting with my sisters and even more therapeutic meeting gorgeous Thea dog for the first time.