A lost wild deer stranded in a muddy canal was rescued in Thailand.

The animal was chased by a group of guard dogs while searching for food near a village and jumped into the water to escape in Nakhon Nayok province on May 9.

Residents heard the dogs barking and saw the weak male deer stuck in the grassy part of the pond so they called the animal rescuers for help.

When the rescue team arrived, they tied a rope around his body before they pulled it out of the water together. A team of veterinarians also waited nearby and checked the deer’s health immediately.

Rescue volunteer Taweep Lomwong said the deer was weak and his hind legs were wounded from escaping the dogs.

He said: ‘He was very weak and had wounds on his back legs. We worried that the deer could die so we called the vets to come help us.’

The 120kg anima was rescued within 15 minutes. He was taken to a local animal shelter to rehabilitate before he could be released back to his habitat.

The area where the deer was found is located near Khao Yai National Park where wild animals sometimes come into residential areas searching for food.