All lanes of the Gardiner Expressway are reopened by 2:30 p.m. Monday (Vic Day) after being closed for the morning and beyond. Police contained the deer in some green space on the north side of the westbound lanes while waiting for animal services to arrive with tranquilizers (inset). The animal was taken to the Toronto Zoo. The road was shut down mid-morning when the lanes were closed near Park Lawn Road, while police officers and others tried to steer the deer away from danger. At one point, the animal sprinted across the blocked road before it sat down in the grass next to the expressway. Earlier pictures from traffic cameras show an officer chasing the creature across the highway. This job is not seen in police manuals or known to naturalists. The Star quoted PC Joe McDougall as saying the concern is that if the deer decides to bolt across the highway while cars are moving at regular speeds, somebody could be seriously injured. “That’s why we want to keep traffic moving as slowly as we can until police can push the deer to a green area,” he is quoted. Police closed down lanes on Park Lawn Rd. until they can get the deer to safety.
