Fleeing fawn captured after chase from Muscatine seawall

MUSCATINE, Iowa - A fawn was spotted by workers at HNI Corporation on the quickly disappearing seawall separating the Muscatine Boat Harbor and Marina from the Mississippi River Tuesday, but was successfully captured and released back into the wild after a merry chase through Downtown Muscatine.

"This was a happy ending and the fawn has been released at a safe location," Patel said.

Muscatine Animal Control and the Muscatine Fire Department responded to the Muscatine Boat Harbor earlier this afternoon after reports were received of the stranded fawn. Just inches of the seawall remained visible due to the rising Mississippi River, and the fawn was apparently unable to find its way back to the shore.

Animal Control Officer Courtney Patel observed the attempted capture of the fawn as members of the Muscatine Fire Department brought the department's rescue boat from its temporary storage location at Station 2 to the riverfront and launched the vehicle into the water. While two firefighters manned the boat, two others walked out onto the seawall in an attempt to capture the fawn.

However, the fawn decided it did not want to be captured, jumped into the harbor waters and began to swim toward shore. The Fire Department boat followed along as the fawn swam to the shore and climbed out onto dry land.

But then the chase was on as the fawn led Patel and Fire Chief Jerry Ewers on a merry chase through the downtown area. Several times the fawn came close to being captured but would dart away at the last second. Eventually, a citizen was able to capture the fawn as it ran past Little Caesar's on Mulberry Street and held on until Patel arrived.

Assisting in the rescue/chase were Fire Chief Jerry Ewers, Lieutenant Spencer Ripperger, Fire Mechanic Jason Summitt, firefighter David Grafton, and firefighter Tyrian Numkena, and several other citizens who tried to capture the fleeing fawn.