State trooper rescues helpless deer who thought he could swim

When there's no crime to fight or illegally parked cars to ticket, police officers sometimes fall into much more adorable tasks.

A New Jersey state trooper turned into a wildlife hero yesterday when he rescued a deer drowning in a swimming pool.

The New Jersey State Police's Facebook page shared a photo of Trooper Dwayne Phillips with the deer he saved.

"The most rewarding thing that we can do as troopers is to save a life, human or animal. And this past Friday, that's just what Trooper Dwayne Phillips did!" they wrote.

"At 12:39 p.m., he was dispatched to a home in Harmony Township, Warren County when a worker discovered a deer drowning in a swimming pool. When Trooper Phillips arrived, it was clear that the buck had been struggling for quite some time."

Even though Phillips wasn't familiar with rescuing deer from pools, his experience on the force gave him the adrenaline he needed to save the vulnerable buck.

Now believe it or not, we don't necessarily teach recruits in the academy how to rescue drowning deer, but we do teach them how to think on their feet and adapt and improvise when a peculiar situation presents itself.

So what did he do? Well, he grabbed the buck by its rack and pulled him from the water to safety! Now, there is always the possibility of serious injury or worse when trying to rescue a drowning victim and even more so when the victim is a wild animal. But this trooper did an outstanding job!

We are happy to report that the buck eventually recovered and ran off! He was so exhausted that he hunkered down on the ground for some time before he could regain enough energy to even stand.

Great job troop! #Attaboy.

If deers could talk, this one would be giving Trooper Phillips a big ol' thank you.