A female muntjac deer has been rescued after becoming trapped in an escalator at a Marks & Spencer store in central Norwich. Staff at the department store on Rampant Horse Street called Hillside Animal Sanctuary last Tuesday after discovering the animal wedged upside down between two glass panels next to the handrail of the ground-floor escalator.
Wendy Valentine, founder of the sanctuary, said: 'In Norfolk, deers often get themselves in trouble. They get stuck between walls and sheds, and in gates. It’s quite common for deer to get trapped … but “trapped in an escalator” was a first.' The deer's foot had become caught in a piece of metal, and it was covered with an M&S blanket to calm it down.
Sanctuary worker Ian Haywood managed to reach into the gap and free the deer. 'Ian’s used to handling wild deer … we’re called [to rescue them] at least once every day, sometimes two or three times,' Valentine said. 'He said he held on to it tightly … he didn’t want it racing around Marks & Spencer.'
The deer, nicknamed 'lucky' Lucy by staff, sustained only a superficial cut on its foot. Valentine said: 'It was fine, more petrified than anything. It’s lucky it didn’t injure itself more than it did.' Lucy is now resting at the sanctuary, feeding on dandelions, hawthorn leaves and bramble leaves, alongside 100 other rescued deer.
Valentine suspected the deer had panicked after entering the store, noting that the sanctuary had previously rescued a deer from the ladies' toilets of a Norwich shopping centre. She praised M&S staff for their swift response. An M&S spokesperson said: 'We’re grateful to our Norwich store colleagues for their swift response when an unexpected visitor entered the store on Tuesday. The team moved quickly to keep the muntjac deer calm, and, with the help of Hillside Animal Sanctuary, it was safely rescued.'
