A veteran suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) says rescuing animals has saved his life.
Anthony Johnson, from Northumberland, spent almost two decades in the British Army.
He said while in the depths of alcohol abuse connected to his PTSD, he was “saved” after discovering an orphaned fawn by the side of a country road near his home in Carrshields.
He nursed and released the deer back into the wild and that encounter led to the formation of the Pennines Wildlife Rescue in 2012.
The 65-year-old and his wife Ute have taken in hundreds of animals over the past decade, re-releasing them when they have been able to.
However, the charity – which relies on public donations – is struggling, the couple say, as funding has dried up.
Video produced by Kristie Kinghorn.
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