Icy waters on Mara Lake prevented a Sicamous Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Shuswap Station 106 crew from reaching a drowning deer in time. (File photo)

Icy waters on Mara Lake prevented a Sicamous Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Shuswap Station 106 crew from reaching a drowning deer in time. (File photo)

Icy waters prevent rescue of drowning deer in Shuswap

RCMSAR crew unable to reach animal in time on Mara Lake.

  • Apr. 11, 2018 12:00 a.m.

Icy waters prevented the rescue of deer that drowned while attempting to cross Mara Lake.

On April 6, Sicamous RCMP were notified of a deer that had fallen through the ice on the lake near Swansea Point. Responding officers saw a full-sized deer struggling in the ice approximately 70 metres from shore.

“The confused animal continued to attempt to cross the lake rather than turn for shore,” said Sicamous RCMP Sgt. Murray McNeil, adding the deer soon became disoriented and stuck in the ice.

A call was made to Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue Station 106 to attempt a rescue. The boat was immediately dispatched with four crew members onboard. But McNeil said the boat was slowed by the amount of ice still in Mara, preventing the crew from reaching the deer in time.


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