Caught in the Wire
The young pronghorn’s chest pressed directly against the twisted strands of barbed wire along the roadside. Its slender legs planted stiffly into the dirt as it let out soft, repeated bleats toward the open prairie.
A few yards away, an adult pronghorn stood alert in the dry grass, ears pinned forward, watching every movement along the asphalt shoulder.
A white patrol truck sat parked with its amber lights flashing against the morning sun. A sheriff’s deputy stepped out from the cab and began walking briskly toward the fence line.
Help Arrives on the Shoulder
The officer walked along the gravel edge of the road, pulling a pair of thick leather work gloves over his hands. His boots crunched against the loose roadside stones as he approached the pinned fawn.
“Easy, easy little one,” the deputy murmured, kneeling beside the wire barrier. The small fawn shifted its head, its dark eyes locked on the officer while its mother kept watch from the nearby knoll.
The deputy reached out with gloved hands, placing one palm gently under the fawn’s chest while examining how the barbs gripped its thin pale fur.
Unraveling the Snag
The top wire held the young animal firmly, pinned across its neck and shoulder. Every tiny shift threatened to tighten the metal prongs against its skin.
Working carefully, the deputy used one hand to lift and relieve tension from the twisted wire. With his other hand, he gently pressed down on the fawn’s neck, guiding its head downward through the opening.
He checked the wire’s grip once more, using his fingers to tease away caught strands of tan hair from the sharp barbs. He shifted his weight onto both knees, pulling the fencing back just enough to widen the gap.
With a steady nudge from his leather glove, the officer eased the fawn’s torso forward beneath the metal strand. The wire sprang back empty against the post.
A Run Across the Prairie
The fawn stumbled forward into the frosted weeds on the prairie side of the fence, finding its footing instantly. It flicked its ears and shook off the dust from its coat.
The adult doe turned her head and pivoted smoothly, trotting toward the open field. The fawn bounded behind her, its white tail patch flashing in the morning light as both animals ran toward a golden cluster of autumn trees.
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