It’s been a snowy season so far in Deer Lake, Newfoundland and for a group of riders the powdery terrain was the perfect spot to get their snowmobiles out.
After veering off the main road, the group headed into the back country when they spotted a moose.
Jonathan Anstey, who owns a snowmobile riding clinic said he knew the moose was stuck in the snow really deep. Only the moose was visible from the neck up. The rest of the moose’s body was stuck in about 1.8 metres or six feet of snow.
The group saw the moose try to get out but he couldn’t. On closer inspection, and carefully, the group discovered the moose had gotten stuck in a bog hole. Despite trying to climb out on his own, the moose’s hind legs were stuck in snow.
When the riders began trying to dig the moose out, the moose stopped and laid down in the snow. After several minutes of digging a path, the moose was persuaded to get up.
The liberated moose hung around for a bit to dry off, Anstey said, occasionally looking at its rescuers as if to say “a little thank you” before trotting away.
Anstey said it isn’t uncommon for people to come across moose in sticky situations while exploring Newfoundland’s back-country, but he would advise them to contact provincial officials rather than taking matters into their own hands.
“I wouldn’t recommend rescuing it even though we did, because we’re experienced outdoorsmen,” he said. “You don’t really want to get close to a big animal like that as they can charge or do a lot of damage.”
Even though this is his second moose rescue, Anstey said he tries not intervene in animal affairs.
We’d like to be known as a back-country riding clinic and not a moose rescuer,” said Anstey. “We do what we need to do to help the wild as much as possible and give them their space.”
h/t: Facebook Jonathan Anstey
