UPTOWN — The recent warm weather makes a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan seem like a good eye-deer.
A local man was walking near Montrose Harbor Tuesday around noon when he spotted a deer swimming in the lake.
The man said the female deer was in the water for about 45 minutes and appeared to be struggling to get up the rocks once it reached the water's edge.
"After it fell down a few times, it didn't really want to do anything," said the man behind the camera, who didn't want to be identified but often shares his footage from around Chicago on YouTube. "We thought we were going to have to carry it up the rocks."
Experts say these types of incidents are rare, but not impossible.
“It’s not terribly common, but most deer species are strong swimmers,” said Seth Magle, director of the Urban Wildlife Institute at the Lincoln Park Zoo. "Animals have the ability to surprise us, especially when they’re put in an unusual environment, like an urban environment."
Once a handful of geese began to squawk at it, the deer managed to climb up the edge and then jump over the nearby fence of the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course. It appeared unhurt.
The man said a handful of people and even a police officer had gathered to help the deer if needed.
Employees of the golf course say this is quite an unusual occurrence for the property at any time of the day.
“I’ve never seen a deer on the golf course or in the water,” said Anthony Braglia, the league coordinator at the Marovitz Golf Course.
