Knottaclu
Well-Known Member
A few days ago, my wife (who is a retained firefighter) was called out to a traffic accident caused by a car hitting a young Red hind. The car occupants were ok but the deer was obviously mortally wounded (multiple broken bones and probably massive internal bleeding) and lying beside the road.
The police called a vet immediately to put it down but were told that the only one available could take a couple of hours to get there. My wife called me and asked if there was anything I could do. Although only ten minutes away, I was on my way to a meeting with a client and said that I couldn't help. The vet finally arrived after two and a half hours - five minutes after the deer had died from its injuries.
The truth is that I could have called the client and postponed, and gone to give the deer a quick and humane death. However, there were police and lots of spectators present and (the world being what it is these days) I was concerned about the potential problems. The thought of that deer lying there on a baking hot day panting out a bitter end to its life now bothers me considerably. I don't know whether I would have been allowed to do anything but I should have tried.
I'm not writing this to excuse myself - I know what I should have done and will deal with the consequences - but to encourage you all to do whatever you think is right if faced with similar circumstances and not to make the same mistake that I did.
The police called a vet immediately to put it down but were told that the only one available could take a couple of hours to get there. My wife called me and asked if there was anything I could do. Although only ten minutes away, I was on my way to a meeting with a client and said that I couldn't help. The vet finally arrived after two and a half hours - five minutes after the deer had died from its injuries.
The truth is that I could have called the client and postponed, and gone to give the deer a quick and humane death. However, there were police and lots of spectators present and (the world being what it is these days) I was concerned about the potential problems. The thought of that deer lying there on a baking hot day panting out a bitter end to its life now bothers me considerably. I don't know whether I would have been allowed to do anything but I should have tried.
I'm not writing this to excuse myself - I know what I should have done and will deal with the consequences - but to encourage you all to do whatever you think is right if faced with similar circumstances and not to make the same mistake that I did.