A deer rescued from the water underneath the Verrazano Bridge Wednesday was apparently struggling in part because its back legs had been bound with rope, said police.
Police received the 911 call for a deer stranded on the seawall under the Brooklyn side of the Verrazano Bridge at about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to authorities. A 31-foot NYPD Harbor Launch boat was deployed from Jamaica Bay in response to the call.
Officers saw two deer, one on the rocks and one struggling in about eight feet of water, police said. The rescue team was able to secure the deer in the water with a rope noose attached to a six-foot pole and heave it onto the boat.
That's when the officers discovered the deer's back legs were bound by twine.
The deer, dubbed "Rudolph" by police, was in otherwise good condition, said police. He was tranquilized for his own comfort and taken to Great Kills Park Marina.
The other deer, called "Rudolph's Girlfriend," was rescued from the rocks by three other NYPD Harbor Launch boats. The responding officers boxed her in and brought her aboard Launch No. 4, a 55-foot patrol boat. She was also tranquilized and brought to Great Kills Park Marina.
The NYPD Mounted and Emergency Services units assisted at the marina.
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Rudolph is described as a 70-pound, 3-foot-tall male deer. Rudolph's Girlfriend weighs 50 pounds and is just under 3 feet tall.
The deer were being taken to Animal Care and Control in NYPD's 75th Precinct in Brooklyn.
