While trick-or-treaters roamed neighborhoods in costumes, one deer had a masked look of its own, a plastic pumpkin stuck on its head.
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Detroit Animal Welfare Group, a non-profit that rescues and rehabilitates animals, has been tracking the deer since it was first spotted on Halloween.
Since the plastic pumpkin covered the deer's mouth, it did not eat or drink during those 10 days.
Rescuers finally tracked and freed the young buck near Hines Park, a 2,300-acre linear park.
Rescue Team Frees Deer After Swampy Mission
Detroit Animal Welfare Group shared a Facebook post about the rescue, which included a muddy trek through a river.
"Just as we were getting ready to leave because dark was setting in and darting in the dark is not ideal, there was a sighting in Hines Park. It was not easy. We followed the deer through the woods and waded through a 20-foot-wide river. Not once, not twice, but four times that was up to our thighs of freezing cold water. Climbing up tall muddy banks, hills, climbing through fallen branches and thick brush....but we were able to safely dart the deer. The bucket was removed!!!"
The non-profit said the deer was "moderately dehydrated" when they found it. Once fluids were given, the deer carried on into Hines Park.
"Happy tears! We'll finally get some sleep tonight, even though we are cold, wet and smell like swamp. We want to thank everybody who came out to search for the last 10 days. We would especially like to thank our veterinarian and Faye. Who were crucial for a successful capture," Detroit Animal Welfare Group wrote.
More than two billion tons of debris were produced worldwide, and discarded items frequently ensnare animals.
The UK had over 13,000 reports of animals severely injured, trapped, mutilated, choked or even killed by "carelessly discarded litter" between 2020 and 2024, according to RSCPA.
Earth.org says about 100,000 marine animals are killed by ocean plastic ingestion or entanglement each year. Roughly 1 million sea birds also die from plastic annually.
Approximately 8 to 10 million tons of plastic enter the ocean every year.
