Ontario Park Warden Jumps Into Icy Lake to Save Stranded Deer

Two deer trapped in icy waters were rescued by an Ontario Parks warden off the shore of Rondeau Bay on January 28.

Zack Stubbington, who works as a warden at Rondeau Provincial Park, said that he received a call that a buck and a doe had fallen into the ice-covered lake, about 150 meters (490 feet) from the shore, and quickly grabbed his rescue gear before jumping in.

After a few hours in the frozen lake, Stubbington and another staff member managed to break up some ice to clear a path for the deer to follow back to shore.

While the buck was able to swim freely to shore, Stubbington had to remove bigger chunks for the doe and veer her towards the cleared path.

“It was very rewarding to see them reach shore after about four hours they spent in the ice,” Stubbington told local media. Credit: Zack Stubbington via Storyful

Video Transcript

ZACK STUBBINGTON: (QUIETLY) It's OK. Go that way. It's OK. It's OK. Come on. Let's go. Let's go. Come on. Let's go. It's OK. It's OK. I got you. Another big chunk here, OK?

There you go. Look. There's a big channel there. Go. Go. I'm gonna push you. Look, to your left. Go to your left. There you go. There you go. Look at that.

There you go. Keep going. Keep going. Nice. Oh. Keep going. Nice. There you go.