A Michigan deer wandered for 10 days with a plastic Halloween pumpkin stuck over its mouth, and rescuers say they get calls like it every year

A young buck in Michigan spent 10 days with a plastic Halloween pumpkin stuck on its head before volunteers freed it on Sunday, according to BroBible. The Detroit Animal Welfare Group led the effort and says it tracked the deer to Hines Park in Westland, miles from the Livonia neighborhood where it was first spotted. Volunteers tranquilized the animal and removed the bucket.

The deer first drew attention after a resident in a Livonia neighborhood recorded video of it with the plastic pumpkin bucket stuck over its mouth. The group says it began receiving calls shortly after Halloween and posted on social media asking people to report sightings. It says it received several updates and photos but could not catch up to the deer, which was becoming weak and thin.

The group says it was concerned that the deer would become dehydrated and eventually starve, as the bucket kept it from eating or drinking. It received permission from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to tranquilize the animal if volunteers could reach it. The group also asked for help from drone pilots, including one with a heat sensing drone, to track the deer down.

Volunteers waded through water and mud in Hines Park to reach the deer on Sunday

On Sunday, someone reported seeing the deer in Hines Park, and volunteers fanned out across the park to find it. They waded through water and mud to get close enough to tranquilize the animal. Once the deer was sedated, they removed the plastic pumpkin, gave it fluids through an IV and tagged it with a “Do Not Eat” date, which the state requires.

The group announced on social media Sunday night that the rescue had succeeded, and thousands of people liked and commented on the post. It says the deer stopped for a few minutes after waking to groom itself and look back at the volunteers before leaving. The group thanked everyone who helped with a search that it says lasted 10 days.

The group says it receives several calls a year about animals with objects stuck on their heads or bodies, and it is asking residents to take a simple precaution after trick or treating ends. It recommends removing the handles from plastic pumpkins or bringing the containers inside once the night is over, so that curious wildlife cannot reach them.

Coverage of the Michigan rescue notes that another deer was freed in Iron Mountain, in the state’s Upper Peninsula, and that a bear in Pennsylvania was seen with a bucket on its head. The cases show, however, that the group’s warning about plastic pumpkins applies beyond the Detroit area, as the problem has been reported in several parts of Michigan and in other states.

Michigan has seen similar rescues before. A South Lyon animal recovery group freed a deer named Lucky in East Lansing in January 2023, after a candy bucket had been stuck on its head for about two weeks, and the group urged people to cut the handles off buckets on Halloween to prevent the same thing from happening again.

Animal rescues in the state have drawn attention in other cases, including when firefighters reached a dog trapped in freezing water with only her head visible above the ice. The deer rescue involved volunteers and a tranquilizer, however, while that case required a fast response from emergency crews.

The Detroit Animal Welfare Group is urging residents to remove handles from plastic pumpkins after Halloween, and it says calls about animals with objects stuck on them come in several times a year.