Attempting to grab a refreshing drink from the Mississippi River near Snow Road, Ontario, a yearling cow moose slipped on the ice and became incapacitated.
After being documented in and around the ice earlier in the month, a number of residents in the area noted that while the moose seemed to frequently lose its footing while walking, it was able to traverse across the slippery surface.
A couple of days later, however, it had become apparent to local residents, Jeff and Jenna Fenwick that the moose was no longer mobile and seemed to be stuck out on the ice of the bay.
“Its back legs were splayed out and it could not move off the ice,” Jeff Fenwick told the Frontenac News.
After assessing the apparent distress of the animal, the Fenwick’s headed out on the ice to see if there was something they could do to help the animal regain her footing.
“We tried getting a horse harness on the moose, but it kept slipping off, and we tried to get it on a tarp to pull it off. In the end we needed four people, one on each leg, to get it off the ice,” Fenwick stated.
By the time the rescuers were able to get the moose off of the ice, she was still unable to utilize her hind legs and they managed to get the moose to higher ground on a neighboring property. Over the next few days, the Fenwick’s placed water and brush near the moose, which she fed on, as they noticed she eventually regained control of her legs, one at a time.
They carefully monitored the moose and neighbors placed yellow caution tape around the entrance to the bay, hoping to persuade the moose against heading back out onto the ice. The moose has since left the area, with no reported sightings. Residents are hopeful that she managed to cross a nearby road and head back into the bush.
H/T: Frontenac News