Witnesses said the deer had been in the water for approximately an hour and a half before lifeguards used human rescue techniques to bring it to shore. “He was really far out there.

A deer was rescued from the water at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in New York. Screengrab from the Fire Buff New York’s Facebook page.

A deer was rescued from the water at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in New York. Screengrab from the Fire Buff New York’s Facebook page.

James Kroll, a biologist and wildlife expert at a college in Texas, said the deer could have entered the water to escape a threat, especially with the noise and activity of the Fourth of July weekend.