Fawn found hiding in HOV lane on Southeast Expressway by DOT workers

E-mail | Print 07/16/2012 3:21 PM

Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe

The rescued fawn laid calmly in the cab of the zipper lane machine.

E-mail

By Sarah Mattero, Globe Correspondent

State highway workers Robbie Bodoin and Bob Polchlopek were preparing the zipper lane for this morning’s commute on the Southeast Expressway when they made a stunning discovery: a fawn stranded inside the HOV lane.

“She was very tired. We’re not sure how long she was there for,” said Bodoin, of North Reading, who has been a state worker for 16 years.

The men brought it along with them as they performed their morning duties, Department of Transportation spokeswoman Sara Lavoie said in a statement.

“She was very warm from being outdoors so we brought her in the machine and let her stay in the A/C before bringing her back to the garage,” said Bodoin, who also said he was careful not to spook her so she wouldn’t dart into traffic.

The MassDOT workers let the baby deer munch on grass and provided it with drinking water. “She must’ve drank two gallons,” said Bodoin.

The fawn will be turned over to environmental officials, Lavoie said in the statement.

It was not immediately clear how the fawn made its way into the zipper lane, which straddles the Southeast Expressway from Dorchester to Braintree.

“We’ve seen cats, dogs, and bunnies, but we’ve never found a deer before,” Bodoin said.