Last week, in Dillon, Colo., about an hour west of Denver, a reindeer found himself in a mall, trapped by the power of a bearded man and surrounded by small children. So the reindeer did what any reasonable creature would do when stuck at a mall for way, way too long: It hightailed it out of the La Riva Mall, across the substantial Dillon Reservoir, and to freedom.

If you’re a reindeer, the Rocky Mountains are not a bad place to live free. But the reindeer didn’t make it for long:

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Wagner and an animal control officer had the reindeer cornered and brought in another reindeer as backup.

“The other reindeer coming in did the trick, and the reindeer came right up to it, and we got the harness and were able to take him into custody from there,” said [police officer Bryan] Wagner.

Just goes to show: Never trust other reindeer. They laugh and call you names, and then they’ll lure you back into servitude.