A resilient deer has been likened to a superhero for his survival skills after getting trapped in a hunter's snare, being shot with a rifle and falling into a pond.
The seven-year-old buck was trapped in the metal device before the owner opened fire on him in Chanthaburi, central Thailand, on Tuesday (January 7) night.
But the determined deer somehow managed to wriggle free - injuring his left foot in the process - and stumbled away with a wound in his torso.
He then plunged into a filthy swamp and laid low for the entire night with blood pouring from his left leg.
Luckily, wildlife officers heard the gunshots from the previous evening and began investigating in the morning.
They found the creature in the pond and immediately hauled him to safety.
Sadly, his foot was so badly injured that it needed to be amputated.
But officials likened the Sambar deer to X-Men superhero Wolverine for his super-strong survival skills, having endured three potentially deadly situations but still come out alive.
Lieutenant Commander Weera said the creature was now being treated at an animal rescue centre, where they hoped he would make a full recovery.
He said the deer had shown ''amazing strength'' to escape from the trap, survive a gunshot wound and endure the night in the pond.
The wildlife boss said staff believed the deer must have ''superpowers'' like the Marvel Comics stars such as Wolverine.
He added: ''The hunter is likely to have laid a snare trap in the forest and when he found a deer, he tried to kill it.
"He shot the deer but it did not hit any vital organs, so the deer wriggled hard until his foot was almost cut off.
"We had to amputate the leg as the wound was so bad, nothing could be done to treat it and we needed to ensure that the deer did not suffer from an infection.
"We will send the force out to patrol the area to try and find the hunter and arrest him for his crime."