Shawnee firefighters save baby deer stuck in basement window well

SHAWNEE, Kan. (KCTV) - Shawnee firefighters saved a stuck baby deer from a basement window well overnight.

Video from the City of Shawnee shows a firefighter at the scene in the 12800 block of 49th St. They said the homeowners believed the fawn was stuck there all day and night.

Justin Verbenec was one of the many firefighters sent to the scene after the call was received. He said this was his first experience getting this kind of call and that it was the first for all the members of the crew going with him.

They were unsure how to handle, grab, and let go of the baby deer safely. They were coming up with ideas at the station and on the ride over.

Ultimately, they decided to put a blanket over the deer to calm it down. The deer did not like it, but they were able to get him out after about five minutes. You can hear the deer give a few squeals in the video.

Although the deer was a little wet from the storms, it was uninjured and set free in the backyard.

“When the initial call came out, my initial thought was, ‘Oh dear. What do we do?’” said Verbenec. “It was a tight space, too. It was probably 4 feet wide by 7 feet long. Concrete on three sides, a window on the other side. So, there wasn’t really a whole lot of room for movement in there. So, when the deer started moving around, we knew that it was time to make the grab and go.”

He said homeowners should look into getting window well covers so something like this doesn’t happen to them.

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