Two nude sunbathers had to be rescued from an Australian forest after they were startled by a wild deer on a beach and got lost.
The two men, aged 30 and 49, have been fined $A1,000 ($759) by authorities for violating Covid-19 stay-home protocols, police said.
They were among 44 people fined for breaking rules in Sydney and surrounding areas meant to contain an outbreak of the transmissible Delta variant that has spread to both coasts.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the two naked men had to call for help after they got lost in the Royal National Park in New South Wales. The Royal National Park is home to at least one nudist beach, Reuters said.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service sent 18 rescue personnel and a helicopter to look for the men.
Authorities said they are "too often called to situations where people have entered the forest without sufficient clothing, footwear, equipment or preparation for where they are going," the Scottish Legal News said.
It was not immediately known how the animal scared the men and why they decided to escape into the forest.
The incident, however, did provide collective laughs for many Australians.
Even more surprising would be the deer announcing it was no where near the beach! — anonymous self (@self_anonymous) June 28, 2021
"Even more surprising would be the deer announcing it was nowhere near the beach!" Anonymous Self said.
"In the interests of public morale, I demand one story like this every day for the duration of lockdown," Malaysian Australian chef Adam Liaw tweeted.
"A good reminder. A Covid health breach results in very deer fines," New South Wales opposition leader Chris Minns said.
"It would be very funny if a deer appeared on screen at the news conference right now, scaring the premier, health minister and police commissioner into the bushes," Naaman Zhou commented.
"It is difficult to legislate against idiots," NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller said during a news conference.
