Baby Moose Stuck in Alaska Lake Rescued from 'Sure Demise' by Quick-Thinking Animal Lovers
"Anytime you can rescue a little critter, it always makes you feel good," said Lt. Ryan Browning of the Homer Police Department
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A baby moose who ended up trapped in an Alaska lake is lucky to be alive — thanks to the efforts of an Alaska man and police officers.
Spencer Warren shared a video of the rescue in a Facebook post on June 14. The clip, titled "Saved a baby moose from the lake," was reposted on Facebook by the Homer Police Department.
In the video, Warren and another officer run toward the edge of the dock at Beluga Lake in Homer, Alaska, where a trapped moose calf is stuck between the dock and floatplane. The two humans work together to pull the little creature up and successfully heave the animal onto the dock.
The creature looks exhausted after the incident. The clip shows the calf falling once it got on dry ground. The footage ends with the officer nudging the animal to get back up and the baby moose walking out of the frame.
"What a wild morning," Warren wrote alongside the video. "Had to save a baby moose that fell into the lake and got stuck between the float plane and the dock. Thanks to the Homer PD for distracting the mama moose and the officer for helping me pull the baby out."
Warren, who works for the outdoor tourism company Destination Alaska Adventure Co., told the Associated Press that he had spotted the struggling baby moose when he turned up to work at around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, June 14, to prep the floatplane for a trip.
"Oh, man, where is mama? I know she's nearby," he recalled thinking.
Warren noted to AP that the mother moose was about four feet away from the dock with another calf when he first arrived. To prevent provoking the mother moose, Warren waited until police officers arrived on the scene to assist before stepping in to save the little moose, who could not get its footing on the slippery metal float.
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Homer Police Lt. Ryan Browning told AP that the calf would have likely met its "sure demise" had officers not stepped in. When police got to the scene, officers maneuvered their police cruiser between the mother moose and her calf in need before attempting the rescue.
Browning added to the outlet that officers were happy the rescue was successful. "Anytime you can rescue a little critter, it always makes you feel good," he said.
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