Stag trapped in barbed wire saved from Cumbrian river

The 150kg stag was tranquilised by a local vet and hauled out of the water on to the river bank

A stag has been rescued after getting tangled in wire fencing and falling into a river in Cumbria.

The red deer, which had barbed wire wrapped around his antlers, was spotted struggling in the River Lyne, in Longtown, near Carlisle, on Tuesday.

Three RSPCA officers, a farmer and a vet managed to free the animal, which was the "same size as a small cow".

Officer Martyn Fletcher, said he was "extremely distressed" and "thrashing around trying to free himself".

The RSPCA said it was "often called out" to rescue animals who have got trapped or tangled in netting and fencing and urged people to pack netting away when not in use and to ensure fencing is intact.

Barbed wire, netting, other fencing and three large wooden posts were tangled around the stag's antlers

Mr Fletcher said: "We started to remove the netting, wood and wire and once he was free we used the farmer's tractor to move the deer away from the river bank, we didn't want him to panic and run back into the water once he started to rouse from the sedation.

"We monitored him from nearby and once he'd regained consciousness he got back on to his feet and, despite being a little wobbly to start with, then started to wander off into the darkness.

"It was a tough rescue in the darkness and in cold, wet, muddy conditions. But to see such a beautiful, powerful animal in the prime of his life finally free and released back into the wild was extremely rewarding."