Orphaned deer kid saved from Hatfield Moors fire

The RSPCA said the actions of firefighters saved the roe deer's life

Fire crews tackling a moorland blaze saved the life of an orphaned deer kid by reviving it with oxygen.

Firefighters had been tackling the blaze in a peat bog on Hatfield Moors, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, for more than two days.

They found the tiny roe deer kid curled in shrubs as they tackled the blaze. The RSPCA said their actions had undoubtedly saved the deer's life.

The animal is recovering at a wildlife centre in Cheshire.

The rescued Roe deer kid was taken to a specialist RSPCA centre for care

RSPCA inspector Daniel Bradshaw, who attended the scene, said: "There were eight fire engines and crews on the scene from across Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire trying to tackle the blaze.

"When they were fighting the flames they came across this tiny roe deer kid curled up in the shrubs and pulled her to safety, but she soon collapsed and stopped breathing so they put an oxygen mask over her nose.

"The fire was huge and the crews did an incredible job getting this terrified little kid to safety and helping her when she was struggling to breathe.

"I'm certain they brought her back to life and without their quick-thinking actions she may well have perished."

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The inspector collected the kid and took her to a wildlife expert for emergency overnight boarding before she was moved to the RSPCA's Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire for specialist rehabilitation.

He added: "It looks as though she's between three and seven days old and is unweaned.

"She was found right at the heart of the fire so I suspect mum has run away and she's now been orphaned."

The kid will now be reared by staff at the wildlife centre before she is old enough to be released back into the wild.

The moor fire has been burning for several days