Residents in a South Bay neighborhood are racing to figure out how to help a baby deer that got caught in a trap.
The fawn appears to have fallen into a metal trap in the hills east of San Jose, and it's been limping around for a couple weeks.
"I was really sad for the poor thing that was struggling, trying to get loose," Jennifer Wool said.
Santa Clara County Animal Control went out to the neighborhood to assess the injury but said the fawn was too fast, despite being slowed by what appears to be an illegal trap.
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"Our officer confirmed it is a metal hold trap," Stephanie Riley with Santa Clara County Animal Control said. "It's usually used for smaller animals like raccoons, or opossums. But in the state of California, they aren’t legal because they’re inhumane."
Tim Schacher has spent the last 12 years rescuing injured deer on behalf of the group Native Animal Rescue out of Santa Cruz.
"It’s really difficult," Schacher said. "Fawns are really fast. If they’re older than a week, they’re like a little rocket. They’re just difficult to catch."
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After animal control told the residents that there's nothing else they can do, the residents decided to make their own plan. It included buying what's called a net gun, which shoots net at an object that's within 15 to 20 feet.
"Right now, we’re trying to catch it and release it," Wool said.
