A Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer look-alike has been rescued after the injured deer became trapped in a walled yard, the RSPCA has revealed.
The charity's officers thought they might be dealing with a Christmas prank when they first got the call about a trapped deer with a red nose.
But it quickly became clear it was a genuine call about a female roe deer who was trapped behind a shop in Dulverton High Street, Somerset.
As the doe became increasingly panicked it was running at the walls, causing it to suffer a bloody nose.
RSPCA chief inspector John Pollock, who was part of the rescue team, said: "It's wasn't Rudolph but it was a genuine red-nosed deer in need of help.
"The shop owner had followed advice and done all the right things but in the end it was clear that whilst she (the deer) had got herself in, she wasn't able to get out without help.
"We were able to return her to the woods which she would have come from, which were very close by, and hopefully she won't make the mistake of trying to go Christmas shopping again."
The RSPCA was alerted to the predicament by Patrick Veale after the deer had managed to get into the walled yard behind his fishing and gun shop, Lance Nicholson.
Three RSPCA inspectors attended the scene on Monday and after stringing up nets to ensure the deer was confined in a smaller area they were able to catch her.
The inspectors examined the deer and found her bloody nose was only superficial and she did not need any treatment.
She was then transferred to a kennel in the back of a van and driven to the nearest woods, about 300 metres away, where she was successfully released.