A deer has been rescued after becoming trapped in barbed wire.

The large deer became tangled in barbed wire and had to be cut free after it became distressed next to a road.

Footage from the rescue showed animal officers from the RSPCA restraining the deer and calming it before cutting it free and setting it loose.

Louis Horton, one of the animal rescue officers involved in the rescue said: “At first we could see the deer was heavily wrapped up in canvas-type fencing, which I suspect was from a different location.

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“It is not uncommon for deer to pick up discarded rope or fencing in their antlers and get entangled, before carrying it around for a while until eventually it gets caught in something else - or even another deer.

“On this occasion the deer had then become caught up in barbed wire fencing. When we arrived he appeared to be unable to move, but as we approached it was clear he was getting stressed out and could move more freely.

“We had to act quickly due to the location near a busy road and the risk to both the deer and road users. We covered the deer’s face to keep him calm and I managed to free his antlers using different cutting tools on the fencing.

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“I had to redirect the deer using his antlers and steer him in the opposite direction so he could run into the large fields behind us and away from the road. Thankfully no one was injured and the deer was later seen running free in the field.

“Sadly, when wild animals get themselves stuck they sometimes panic which can make the situation worse. It’s really important that if you see a wild animal in this situation to get in touch with us so we can try and help as quickly as possible.”

Louis and Chloe Horton, another animal rescue officer, were called to Hornbrook Copse in Horsham at around 8am on January 3 after the deer was spotted by the side of the road.

Footage of the rescue showed the RSPCA officers assessing the situation before restraining the large deer.

The pair later cut it free before setting it free back into the countryside.