Fabrizio “Gass” Capizzo is an Italian white water kayaking enthusiast. He and some of his friends were out on the Candigliano river, near San Marino when they came across an unusual scene. Someone was in trouble, and they had to get creative to
While navigating a particularly challenging part of the river, full of rocky narrow passages and rapids, he saw something up ahead.
He couldn’t make it out at first. A duck? Maybe a log or something else caught in the current?
But then he got a little closer and realized…
It was a deer – and the little guy was in trouble.
He was bobbing up and down, trying desperately to swim to shore. But the cliffs were too sheer and the current too strong for him to get his footing and pull himself up.
And the more he tried, the more tired he became.
It was clear he was scared and starting to panic.
Fabrizio had his GoPro strapped to his helmet and was able to catch the entire thing on film.
First, he and his friends tried to surround the deer in the hopes of catching it as it floated down stream, but the current swept him away.
Despite the dangerous conditions, Fabrizio jumped into action.
He turned his kayak around, and maneuvered through the canyon after the deer.
Luckily, he manages to catch up with him before he floats too far away.
Fabrizio pulls up beside the deer, who’s trying to swim upstream, and helps lead him towards the side of the river and against some rocks.
At first it looks like the kayaker is getting to close and going to crush him!
But he’s experienced and can paddle precisely, and gives her enough room to keep swimming. It’s hard to tell with the GoPro’s fish eye lens.
It seems that he hoped his kayak could provide some solid ground (or the next best thing) for the deer to push off of and get a little boost up on to the rocks. But his legs are too shaky and he’s too tired and scared.
His next best idea, is to try and get the deer up onto the kayak. It seems like an impossible feat. His helmet is blocking some of the video footage so it’s difficult to see exactly how he managed to pull a wild animal up onto the kayak. But he does! There’s some movement, and then a hoof and some antlers can be seen balanced at the front of the boat.
Miraculously, he gets the critter up on the kayak and gives him some much-needed relief from all the swimming he’s been doing.
He then paddles to a section of river nearby with cliffs that aren’t too high or sheer. One of his kayaking pals pulls up and jumps out of the boat to help. He takes a few careful steps down the rocky cliff and pulls the deer out of the water to safety.
He almost immediately collapses on the ground.
He must be terrified of the people, but is just too weak to run away. The two men try to help warm him up by petting him and shaking his body a little.
It looks like the little guy is going to be just fine!
What a beautiful twist of fate that these kayakers happened to be passing by at the same time. And that they were able to think on their feet and get the deer to safety!
They’ve just earned themselves some good karma points, that’s for sure.
The comment section of the YouTube video was filled with people sending praise and well wishes for the deer as well.
And some people who thought the kayakers should have asked the deer some specific questions before getting him to safety.
I bet the kayakers didn’t think of this one!
Watch the incredible rescue video by clicking below.
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