Park railings, a fast-flowing river and foot and mouth disease were not enough to defeat a plucky deer which survived a traumatic day in York.

With the help of firefighters and the RSPCA the two-year-old roe buck is back in the bushes where he belongs, after his arduous adventures on the river bank.

The animal first attracted attention when it became stuck in railings on the edge of Rowntree Park at about 9.45am today.

A call from a passer-by alerted the RSPCA. The animal workers would have liked to sedate the creature and release it back to safety, but the foot and mouth crisis meant no trips in the van for the deer, so Chief Inspector Paul Stilgoe and animal collection officer Deborah Wilson pulled the beast back through the railings.

The deer was then lifted over the railings and allowed to go. But the frightened creature headed straight for the River Ouse and swam off.

He popped back on to the bank under the shadow of the Millennium Bridge as two firefighters arrived.

He was finally pulled out and then carried by firefighter Neal Jackson to some bushes where he was released.

The little animal then staggered, wobbled and limped around for a few seconds before turning for the last time to his rescuers and wandering off back into nature.

Updated: 16:16 Thursday, May 03, 2001