VANCOUVER -- B.C. Conservation officers and crews from the Penticton Fire Department rescued an injured mule deer that had run out on a frozen lake, likely to escape a hungry coyote.

The B.C. Conservation Officers service wrote in a Facebook post that the injured deer was exhausted by the time it got out on Skaha Lake, and since a coyote was observed nearby, they believe the deer had fled to the lake to escape the predator.

Deer rescue
The injured deer was exhausted by the time it got out on Skaha Lake. (BC Conservation Officer Service/Facebook)

When officers assessed the deer, they found its tail had been bitten off. Luckily, the deer's injuries were not critical and conservation officers were able to release the animal back into the wild.

Mule deer
Conservation officers were able to release the deer back into the wild. (BC Conservation Officer Service/Facebook)