The cat up a tree rescue is old hat for firefighters as tradition has it.
A moose in a frozen flooded field — not so much.
On Friday morning, Lacombe Fire Department got a call from a driver who spotted a young moose in a field near Milton Road and Hwy 2A. It appeared the moose was stranded on a stretch of ice.
Lacombe Fire Chief Ed VanDelden said eight volunteer firefighters headed out to the scene around 9 a.m. to see what they could do.
It turned out the adolescent moose was injured and was lying on a tuft of grass and was not trapped by the ice. The unfortunate moose had likely been hit by a vehicle during the night.
“We got there and determined very quickly it was injured,” he said. “One of the hind legs had been hit.”
Alberta Fish and Wildlife was contacted and an officer came out to inspect the animal. Sadly, the moose was too hurt to move and had to be euthanized.
VanDelden said the fire department often gets calls about deer hit on the road but this was a little out of the ordinary.
The fire department attends injured animal scenes mostly to help keep the public safe. Firefighters don’t want to see the public putting themselves in danger because of well-meaning attempts to help a stricken animal.
VanDelden said the public should be cautious around wounded animals.
“They shouldn’t be approached when injured — especially when injured sometimes.”
Animals under stress often see people as a threat and are not aware they are trying to help.
VanDelden recalls a rescue that had a better outcome many years ago. He was among firefighters called in to help a deer stuck in a dugout.
They managed to put down landscape fabric on the side of the dugout so the deer could clamber out.
pcowley@reddeeradvocate.com
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