TREMPEALEAU, Wisconsin (WKBT) — For Viola Finch and her grandfather, what started as a hike in the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge turned into a rescue mission. “Me and my grandfather went down to the edge of the water and we could actually see ears on the object and that it was moving,” Viola said. Her Grandpa didn’t think it was animal. “I thought it was a tree stump,” he said. It was a deer on the ice. As an animal lover, Finch knew it was going to need help. “No animal is going to be fine especially a deer being on the middle of the ice,” she said. Once they got closer, they could see the animal struggling to get up. “Obviously it was scared, and it started coming at me but when its legs would kind of just go out…that’s when we knew it’s probably in pain or hurt its legs and can’t move,” Viola said. Finch and her Grandpa pushed the deer with their hands and feet to try to get it off the ice. Although they’re glad they did, Finch says safety is always priority. “If you’re going to go out in the middle of the ice to save an animal, you should 100% be sure that you’re safe,” she said. “It took 20 minutes to get out there. We had hiking sticks because I think our safety was prioritized over that deer for sure.” Finch and her grandpa add it was definitely risky because you don’t always know how thick the ice is and recommend being careful when trying to rescue animals.