Great News – ‘Jughead’ is Free Thanks to Indiana Conservation Officers

While it may not be fun to talk about, I think most of us understand that death is a necessary part of nature. In the wild, animals die all of the time, often so that other animals (including us humans) can live - we can accept that fact. We have a much harder time (or at least we should) accepting when animals die for no reason, or when an animal's death is completely avoidable. Thankfully, this is NOT an article about an animal dying - quite the opposite. This is a story about a deer that is alive today thanks to a handful of humans.

A deer was recently spotted in Cannelton, Indiana, and he was quickly given the nickname "Jughead" - that's because he had an empty water jug stuck on his head. It seems kind of silly when you think about it, almost kind of funny - but there really is nothing funny about that situation. In case you need a quick deer anatomy lesson - "Jughead" doesn't have any hands, and neither do any of his buddies. He can't just pull the jug off of his head, and he can't eat or drink as long as the jug is there. You do the math - the story doesn't have a happy ending if that jug stays on his head. Luckily, this story does have a happy ending because that jug is no longer on his head.

The good news was shared on the Indiana DNR Law Enforcement Facebook page.

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Unfortunately, not all of these kinds of stories have a happy ending, so let this serve as a reminder to keep your trash in a bag or in a bin, and certainly not out in nature. If you see some litter, like an empty water jug, pick it up and throw it away. And if you see an animal in a situation like this, please contact someone - the Indiana DNR, law enforcement, or even animal control.