ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An Alaska man and two police officers rescued a baby moose from what police described as “a sure demise” after it fell into a lake and got stuck in a narrow space between a floatplane and a dock.
Spencer Warren, who works for the outdoor tourism company Destination Alaska Adventure Co., had arrived at work about 6:30 a.m. Friday to prepare a floatplane for the day’s trip when he heard what he thought was an odd-sounding bird.
He quickly spotted the moose calf stuck between the floats of the plane and the dock at Beluga Lake in Homer, a Kenai Peninsula community about 220 miles (350 kilometers) south of Anchorage. The floats replace the wheels on a plane, allowing it to take off and land on water.
He immediately thought, “Oh, man, where is mama? I know she’s nearby,” before spotting the worried mother about 4 feet (1.2 meters) away with another calf. Mother moose can be dangerously protective of their calves — a photographer was killed by a mama moose protecting her young just last month in Homer.
The baby moose tried to get out of the lake, but couldn’t get its footing on the top of the metal float with its hooves. Its wary mother was keeping Warren, the would-be rescuer, from getting too close as it struggled.
“It’s like an ice rink for the moose and its hooves,” Warren said of Friday’s rescue. “So he just kept slipping and slipping and could not get up.”
Warren checked in with his boss, who called Homer police.
One officer eventually positioned his police cruiser between the mama moose and the floatplane to allow another officer and Warren to rescue the calf, Homer Police Lt. Ryan Browning told The Associated Press.
The calf had one leg outstretched across the top of the plane’s float, where it was stuck.
“You know, kind of thankfully, he wasn’t moving so that it made the rescue a little bit easier,” Warren said. “We just lifted him straight out and, put him on the dock there.”
The exhausted calf splayed out on the boardwalk until an officer helped it stand. The calf reunited with its mother and she licked the water off its body — all of it caught on camera by Warren.
“Anytime you can rescue a little critter, it always makes you feel good,” Browning said.
An Alaska man and local police officers recently came to the rescue of a baby moose that had become trapped in a lake, while its worried mother looked on from the shore. The heartwarming rescue mission took place near Anchorage, Alaska, where wildlife encounters are not uncommon.
The baby moose had apparently wandered too far into the lake and found itself unable to climb back onto the shore. Its distressed mother stood nearby, calling out in distress as she watched her calf struggle in the water. Fortunately, a nearby resident spotted the stranded animal and quickly called the authorities for help.
When the police arrived on the scene, they were met with a challenging situation. The baby moose was clearly exhausted from trying to swim to safety, and its mother’s calls only added to the tension of the rescue operation. With careful coordination and teamwork, the officers were able to approach the calf without causing it further distress.
Using a combination of ropes and manpower, the rescuers were able to pull the baby moose out of the water and onto dry land. The relieved mother immediately rushed over to her calf, nuzzling it and checking for any signs of injury. Thankfully, the baby moose appeared to be unharmed, aside from being a bit shaken up from its ordeal.
The heartwarming rescue mission was captured on video by a bystander and quickly went viral on social media. Many viewers praised the quick thinking and compassion of the Alaska man and police officers who worked together to save the stranded animal.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of wildlife conservation and the need to protect vulnerable species like moose. It also highlights the incredible bond between mother and offspring in the animal kingdom, as the mother moose never gave up hope that her baby would be rescued.
As for the baby moose, it was last seen happily reunited with its mother, grazing peacefully in a nearby meadow. Thanks to the quick actions of caring individuals, this story had a happy ending for all involved.
