Wildlife and traffic in Toronto don't usually mix, but a deer trying to cross Highway 401 at Avenue Road was safely caught by police and motorists on Friday and has already been released into the wild.

Sgt. Kerry Schmidt, spokesperson for Ontario Provincial Police's Highway Safety Division, said the story has a happy ending.

Schmidt said the OPP received a call in the morning about a deer running around the highway. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the animal on the busy road and suffering from a cut to one of its legs.

'Scared and kind of stuck'

Fortunately, the deer had not been hit by a vehicle.

"He was scared and kind of stuck. He didn't know how to get off the highway," Schmidt said.

"With the assistance of a few motorists, we were able to get him cornered and get him into the back of a police vehicle."

Officers managed to trap the deer between a wall and the side of vehicle.

The animal was placed in the cruiser, and once it was lying down on the seat, a black cloth was placed over its head to calm it down.

The deer that ran onto Highway 401 is pictured here in the back of a police cruiser. A black cloth was placed on its head to calm it down. (Ontario Provincial Police/Twitter) Officers then drove the deer to the Toronto Wildlife Centre, where the animal was sedated and received a few stitches to its leg and some tender loving care.

'Stitched up and he was good to go'

"He was stitched up and he was good to go," Schmidt said. "He should make a full recovery."

A few hours after receiving medical care, the deer was released into a wooded area in the area of Bathurst Street and Highway 401, Schmidt said.

"Everybody is happy," he said.

"It was a surprise. You don't see a lot of deer on the highways. They do come on from time to time. Certainly, it was something that could have been far more dangerous, had he been running around and had he been hit by a car or had he caused a crash. With the snow and ice and all the weather out there, you never know what could have happened if people would have lost control when they saw this deer.

"We do see larger animals from time to time, but that is certainly the exception rather than the rule."

Schmidt had a little fun with the story on Twitter. When interviewed later, he said it was good news that the deer survived.

Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/santa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@santa</a> are you missing a reindeer? We helped this one off of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hwy401?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hwy401</a> in Toronto. <br>You can pick him up at Downsview Animal control now. He has a small cut but will be fine.<br>Hurry up! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Christmas?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Christmas</a> is just around the corner and he wants to pull your sleigh! <a href="https://t.co/C7FClZKw1e">pic.twitter.com/C7FClZKw1e</a> —@OPP_HSD