FREDERIC SERRE
The 1510 West

West Islanders took to social media last Friday, teaming up with animal rescue teams and wildlife officials to save a wayward deer that had found its way onto the elevated tracks of the REM line near St. Charles Blvd. in Kirkland.

The drama began shortly after noon when a motorist posted a video and photo on a social media page page of a frightened young deer running along the track, prompting an immediate response from other motorists and concerned citizens. Thankfully, no trains are yet running on the West Island section of the REM line and the tracks are not yet electrified. The concern, however, was that the deer was trapped on a portion that is 24 metres above street level.

Thanks to the response spurred by social media, REM officials contacted animal rescue units and Quebec’s Environment Ministry, which sent wildlife agents to the scene, who then tranquilized the animal, before transporting it back to a forested area near Ste. Anne de Bellevue. REM officials said the deer entered the tracks through a part of the fence that had been damaged by a fallen tree, adding that the fence has since been repaired.