The N.L. moose who fell through the North Atlantic ice and lived
CBC Archives | Posted: March 8, 2020 12:30 PM | Last Updated: March 8, 2022
In 1985, wildlife officials and fishermen teamed up to undertake dramatic rescue of trapped moose
The moose calf almost didn't make it.
But a dramatic ice-top rescue saved his life — and at the same time, nearly failed to save it.
The trouble started when the moose jumped off a wharf in Torbay, N.L., and started walking across the ice in the harbour on top of the North Atlantic.
Then he fell through.
'He gave up'
"He made futile attempts to free himself, but finally, exhausted, he gave up," the CBC's Maureen Anonsen told viewers, in a report that ran on The National on March 8, 1985.
Wildlife officials made their way to the scene, as did some local fishermen who helped in the rescue effort.
They brought a ladder with them, as well as some ropes and slings. And a helicopter was also there to help out.
"When they reached the moose, he was feeble and frightened. They tried to calm him," said Anonsen. "Finally, they lifted him out."
'The rescue attempt had failed'
But just moments after his body was out of the icy water, the calf fell out of the harness lifting it and back down through the ice again.
"He fell about two metres," Anonsen said. "The rescue attempted had failed."
Fortunately, a second attempt worked and the moose was airlifted to safety.
"Miraculously, after spending three hours in the North Atlantic ice, the moose got on his feet and walked away," Anonsen said.
It was an ending fit for a Danger Bay episode, though on the wrong Canadian ocean.