The air currents created by the helicopter blew the animal to safety

Mar 1, 2013 09:35 GMT  ·  By

This footage made it online just a couple of days ago, and most people agree that the idea of using air currents to rescue a deer left stranded on a frozen lake is nothing if not innovative and praiseworthy.

The deer and the fawn shown in this video were rescued by a team of committed conservationists working with Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resources.

Sources say that, prior to their being rescued, both the deer and its fawn had spent many hours trying to get to shore.

Whereas the fawn appeared to have been well in control of the situation, hence its running away when the helicopter showed up, its mother found it quite difficult to balance its weight on the ice covering the Antigonish Harbour in Nova Scotia.

“The wash, because the ice was so smooth, the wash was so powerful that it actually started to push the deer. It was just brilliant. It was a solution exactly tailored to the situation,” explained Ian Waugh, the man who first noticed the animals and who called in the Department of Natural Resources.