'Oh deer' moment as Roe gets caught in Horsham goal net

The net was wrapped around the young deer's neck

A young deer has been rescued after it ventured into a garden and became tangled in the net of a football goal.

The RSPCA was called to help the "completely ensnared" roe in Nuthurst, West Sussex on Thursday.

Animal welfare officer Marie Stevens said: "It was an 'oh deer' moment when he realised he's better playing in the back roe than in goal!"

Ms Stevens cut the netting away from the distressed animal who sprang up and trotted away.

"Thankfully this guy wasn't injured and hadn't done himself any damage," she said.

The animal was carried to a safe spot to be released back into the wild

The RSPCA receives about 1,000 calls per year to help animals and birds tangled in netting.

It said families with sports nets in their garden should put them away safely after use.

"If animals are caught in nets and go unnoticed even for a short time, they can really suffer.

"The tighter the net gets, it can cut off the blood supply to their limbs, damage bones where they have tried to frantically escape, or worst of all, they could be strangled to death," she said.

The net was wrapped around the deer's neck and legs in this case.

Luckily, the deer was unharmed

If netting cannot be removed, such as net covering for ponds or fruit, the charity recommended replacing fabric with solid metal mesh.

Members of the public who find a trapped animal should not not to try to free it themselves but should call the RSPCA instead, the charity said.

The roe sprang back up onto its feet and trotted off