A moose calf’s struggle to get out of a Central Alberta lake ended happily Friday.
Colleen Baradoy first saw the calf about 10 a.m. when she mistook it for a large bird feeding on a carcass from her home overlooking Adams Lake south of Raven.
She thought little of it until around noon and after using binoculars to confirm it was a moose, she and her hired house painter Harvey Von Hollen called the Medicine River Wildlife Centre.
“It’s the first I’ve ever seen an animal drop into the ice,” she said.
“It looks exactly like an ice fishing hole. It must have a spring underneath.”
The centre’s Adam Finch responded by coming out with ropes and after lassoing the struggling ungulate, the trio hoisted her out.
“It was crazy to be that close and to have her trust us,” said Baradoy.
“She was in quite a bit of shock. It was too slippery to get off the ledge with her hooves. She was probably in the ice and water at least five hours.”
Finch decided not to take the calf to the centre and hopes other moose will care for her despite there being only her tracks to the ice hole.
“She may die due to stress. She can hide and meet up with the rest of her group.”
Baradoy and neighbours are keeping their eyes on the calf to ensure no predators take advantage as she rests along the lake’s shoreline.
“She looked good when we left her there. It was quite an experience.”