Deer with pumpkin head rescued in New Jersey

An unlucky deer dived late into this year’s Halloween festivities.

The would-be trick-or-treater came up looking the part, though its pumpkin must have been something of a squash.

The hapless deer was spotted wandering through Upper Saddle River in Bergen County with its head stuck fast in a plastic pumpkin, according to NJ.com. Photos from a backyard in the New Jersey borough show the young animal’s face entirely covered by the discarded ornament.

Thankfully, a team of Tyco Animal Control officers from Ho-Ho-Kus were able to combine with members of the US Department of Agriculture and the state Division of Fish and Wildlife to rescue the deer, according to police.

“The deer has been found. Thank you. Pumpkin removed,” Upper Saddle River officials announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning.

“The deer is up and eating. Residents don’t always appreciate the deer but this poor thing was suffering greatly. Happy and relieved to have the story end well,” they continued.

Concerned residents had been calling Upper Saddle River Police since the end of November to report sightings of the unmistakeable creature, the New York Post reports. A call last week to Mayor Joanne Minichetti helped narrow the search to a particular area frequented by the deer.

The deer was successfully tracked down, tranquilized, and relieved of its headgear. Its trick-or-treating days may be over for now, but it will eventually be released back into the wild – surely before next Halloween.