When Livia Sponseller spotted an animal struggling to walk on an icy river while she was driving to work recently, she knew she had to take action.
Sponseller was driving on the Key Bridge that crosses the Potomac River and connects Washington, D.C., to Rosslyn, Virginia, when she saw the young deer trapped on the ice. She said she was stunned to see a fawn trying to walk on it.
"Within seconds of spotting it, one of his back legs fell through the ice," she said. "So I hung up the call I was on and started calling wildlife emergency numbers."
She was able to contact the Brandywine Valley SPCA, a group that provides animal control services to the city of Washington. That led to the Metropolitan Police Harbor Patrol and the boat crew from D.C. Fire & EMS’ setting out to rescue the deer.
"What spurred me to call was that I bet no one else would see him struggling out there," she said. "So, I felt the responsibility to try to help."
The baby deer was saved, and the story blew up on social media. More than that, mainstream media across the U.S. and beyond picked up the story. "Yahoo News UK even posted about it," she said. "Everyone loves Bambi."