Without much-needed help from New York state authorities, one moose could have been stuck in the icy water for more than a few hours.
A resident reported the moose to authorities around 11 a.m. on Jan. 16, saying it had fallen through the ice and into the frigid waters of Lake Abernakie, according to a news release from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Lake Abernakey is located in the town of Indian Lake, about 190 miles northeast of Syracuse.
“There is no training manual on how to remove a moose from the ice,” Conservation Police Lt. Robert Higgins said in a statement.
But he and other forest rangers on the scene came up with a plan to rescue the elk by cutting a channel through the ice with a chainsaw.
Video shows ‘amazing’ rescue of moose from icy water
Forest ranger Evan Nahor cut through the ice and Higgins removed chunks of ice to create a path for the moose to break free.
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“It’s good to know when a moose will come in, and we know time is not on our side, but it doesn’t take forever to do what needs to be done,” Nahor said in a statement. “It was about ‘do what you can with what you have.'”
Nahor and Forest Range Officer Matt Savary then helped guide the elk to shallow water near the shore. Once the moose was freed from the water, it took several attempts to stand up.
But when it was over, the moose disappeared into the forest. The moose, later identified as an antlered bull moose, remained in the water for approximately two hours before being rescued.
“It was amazing,” Higgins said. “I was really surprised that I was able to climb onto the ice on my own after being in the water for two hours, because I was so tired. I was shaking and didn’t have a lot of energy left. It was hard when I came.”I came out and dropped my body on the ice.” ”