Havre man assists in rescue of Fort Benton fawn

A Havre contractor helped rescue a baby deer from a lagoon filled with sewage in a story that has gained national attention.

Curt Wood, who owns C & C Excavation with his wife, Carol, said he saw a fawn about 9 a.m. Wednesday that was trapped in a sewage lagoon at Fort Benton.

Wood said he had seen several deer near the lagoon, where his business is doing work for the city of Fort Benton's wastewater system, but he had not seen the fawn previously.

He said he called Fort Benton City Works Superintendent Skip Ross to get someone there to rescue the fawn.

Ross said that he then sent city employee Joe Bauer, 19, to rescue the animal.

Bauer waded out into the lagoon to rescue the young animal.

He said the fawn was about 100 yards out in the lagoon, and it did not fight his rescuing it.

"Honestly it was fairly welcoming," Bauer said.

Ross said Bauer's efforts were admirable.

Bauer said the rescue was a rewarding experience, although people didn't want to be anywhere near him afterward until he had showered and changed his clothes.

Wood said that after the initial rescue, the fawn was placed on the nearby river bank. He added that the fawn was very weak and was slow to move for a long period of time. He said he constantly checked up on the fawn, monitoring its recovery.

Once the fawn was strong enough to walk, Wood said, he led it farther away from the lagoon and into the tall grass where he had seen deer previously and was sure that the fawn's mother was waiting for it.

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Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.