This is the heartwarming moment a wild deer was rescued after being found stranded in the sea.

The spooked animal bolted from nearby woodland and plunged into the clear blue ocean in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand.

With the 'fight or flight' response kicking in, the male deer was swimming away from land towards the horizon.

Fisherman in wooden long tail boats noticed the stricken creature and sailed over before surrounding him to make him turn around.

They then shepherded the deer back to the beach, where he was seen climbing onto the sand and bounding back into the woods.

One of the fisherman who helped to save the deer, Susak, said the animal may have been frightened by a loud bang in the jungle from a car backfiring or someone making noise in their home.

He said: ''We saw the animal swimming along the sea waves. If we did not help him, he would have become tired and drowned.

''We cornered him and made him go back to the land. Everyone was pleased that we saved the deer's life. It was beautiful when he reached the shore and ran back into the wild."