A deer stranded on the ice at the Cambridge Reservoir in Waltham was pulled to shore by firefighters on Jan. 4, but later had to be euthanized because it was in such poor condition.

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The deer appeared to be a football field’s length from Route 128, lying with its head up.

The crew worked for more than 15 minutes to secure the deer, covering its head with a yellow bag and tying its legs. The deer managed to shake the bag off its head several times as it kept trying to thrash free.

More than a dozen firefighters and other officials joined in the rescue effort.

The crew managed to pull the deer to shore by 12:50 p.m. on Jan. 4 and then it was transferred to the Tufts Wildlife Clinic in Grafton.

After the deer was rescued on the ice of a frozen pond, it was placed in the boxed container. The Tufts Wildlife Clinic said that experts believe the deer had been on the ice for hours, possibly overnight, and was struggling to get up. The deer’s condition was so poor that “the most humane solution” was sedation and euthanasia, the clinic said.