Any i-deer how they got there? Firefighters lasso stags after they break through ice walking across frozen lake

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Updated: 11:34 EST, 6 January 2011

This powerful stag had a lucky escape after it was broke through thick ice and had to be rescued by firefighters.

The antlered animal was one of five that had walked across an ice-covered lake in Voerde, Germany, when disaster struck.

Unfortunately the ice was not thick enough to support the animal's weight and all four tumbled into the freezing water after cracking through the surface.

Staggering: A firefighter winces in pain after losing his footing as he tries to haul one of the stuck deer out of the frozen Tenderingsees lake in Germany

Firefighters from the nearby town of Huenxe were called to the Tenderingsees lake to rescue the errant herd from a certain watery death after the slippery ice proved too difficult for them to get free.

Using ropes, members of the fire department threw lassos at the stranded deer and managed to snag their antlers before pulling them clear.

But it wasn't all plain skating as the panicked animals managed to topple their would-be rescuers as they struggled to regain their footing on the slippery surface.

All five were successfully rescued and released back into the wild after being checked by vets.

Skating on thin ice: The man catches his breath on the slippery surface after the panicking animal dragged him off his feet

That's how the cowboys do it: Using the rope as a lasso, he snags the stag's antlers before pulling it from the lake