Firefighter Jumps into Flames To Save Endangered Baby Deer Before It Is Too Late
Natural disasters seem to beget other natural disasters: it’s part of the change this world experiences every day, on both personal and global levels.
The drought in California meant there was plenty of kindling for a potential fire. And there were multiple fires that ravaged the state last year.
The fires there meant that much of the vegetation was destroyed, leaving hillsides barren and unstable. Then it rained, and there were lots of mudslides.
This cycle continues around us, but people do as much as they can to mitigate the destruction and save as many lives as they can. Saving one creature may not change the world, but it will change the world for that one creature.
Jen Shockley Brack experienced that this past Sunday as she and her fellow firefighters worked to contain a Florida blaze that took off and became known as the Big Pine Key brush fire.
With the recent damage from the hurricane, there was a lot of downed material to burn, and the fire took off.
Shockley Brack, a Monroe County Fire firefighter for the past 3 years, suddenly saw a defenseless critter amidst the blaze.
“I saw this little guy run out and he was terrified,” she later said. “He was scared to death and his little legs were shaking.”
But as soon as she spotted him, he was off — directly into the fire. The fawn was a Key deer, which is an endangered species found only in (you guessed it) the Florida Keys.
Rescuing this little deer became doubly important. Not only was it a hapless baby who was lost and terrified, it was critical that he live to improve his species’ chance of survival.
Shockley Brack told her partner she was going in. “I wasn’t scared,” she said. “I saw his big eyes and he was so scared and trembling, I just had to get him.”
The fawn was hiding in fiery brush, but he calmed and stayed still as she approached. “I think he knew I was there to help him,” she said.
Fortunately the two of them managed to get clear of the fire with little more than singed eyelashes — but the deer’s fate would have been much different if Shockley Brack hadn’t spotted him and decided to go in after him.
After a brief check-up, some oxygen, and some water, the fawn was deemed unharmed. A few selfies later, the baby was released back into the wild (as required by law), where the firefighter hopes he is surviving and thriving.
Submit your story here, and subscribe to our best uplifting stories here.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
