Deer-ly beloved
Locals try to save deer from drowning in Snowcreek pond; attempt ‘mouth-to-snout’ resuscitation.
Three Mammoth residents had a heartbreaking morning on Wednesday, May 4, when Dave Turner noticed a drowning deer in a Snowcreek reclaimed water holding pond as he was walking his dog.
The deer was unable to exit the pond due to the rubberized liner which is intended to prevent water from seeping into the ground. Turner put out a post on Facebook asking for help—Turner had already entered the water to try and save the deer but he and his fiancée, Tawny Thomas, were unable to rescue the animal by themselves.
Turner has since removed the post, and neither he nor Thomas chose to speak with The Sheet, but on the morning of the incident he stated that he had “lost” the animal after its head went under the water during the rescue attempt. In the now-deleted Facebook post, he said he attempted do to CPR on the deer, but that it was too late.
Local Mammoth Lakes Fire Department Captain Brent Salzmann responded to Turner’s request for help on social media before 7 a.m. that morning. “[Turner] was all wet and shivering…he was having a hard time getting the deer out,” said Salzmann.
