A FAWN has amazed the RSPCA after surviving a horrific crash.

Her mother was killed when she was hit by a car in Chapeltown Road, Turton.

The impact ripped open her abdomen and the almost full-term deer spilled out. Her twin had died.

RSPCA deputy chief inspector Ben Strangwood said: “I’ve heard stories about this type of thing but I’ve certainly never seen anything like it before.

“The fact that she survived what happened to her mother is unbelievable.

"That there might be a chance of her making it is even more so.

"Obviously everyone has their fingers crossed for a happy ending.”

The fawn, who will not be named as she is a wild animal, is being hand-reared by veterinary nurse Sarah Goodwin at RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, near Nantwich, Cheshire, after the crash at 1am on Sunday, May 23.

She said: “We really weren’t sure how she’d get on, having had none of the benefits of her mother’s milk, but things are going well and she’s getting stronger every day.

“We’re not out of the woods yet. Hand-rearing a wild animal is a difficult task and anything could go wrong, but as more time goes by you naturally become more hopeful.”

Weaning generally takes between six to eight weeks and then she will be moved onto bigger RSPCA facilities in Norfolk.

Research indicates that more than 74,000 deer may be involved in vehicle collisions each year with the RSPCA taking over 3,000 calls on the matter.

“It’s usually very bad news when a deer has been hit by a car.

"In the vast majority of cases they have to be put to sleep to end their suffering,” said deputy chief inspector Strangwood.

“That’s what makes this all the more amazing, really.”