A kindhearted pair rescued a moose calf trapped in barbed wire at the side of a road while its grateful mother watched on.
Sandy Irwin and friend Lee Cockrum were driving near Sandy’s home, in Dorintosh, Saskatchewan, when she spotted the mother and calf cross the road 80 yards in front of them.
As the pair got closer, Sandy noticed the mother moose had jumped a fence, but the calf had immediately become tangled, flipping on its back and trapping a leg.
Determined to help, Sandy and Lee hopped from their vehicle and headed straight for the helpless calf.
With Lee being a rancher, the pair knew the potential dangers of interfering with a calf while its protective mother was present, but given how tangled it was, they knew they needed to help.
The calf’s leg was tightly wrapped within the wire of the fence, and so Lee pried the fencing apart while Sandy freed the leg and pulled its head out from underneath it.
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Then, with a little nudge from Lee, the calf knew it was free and headed straight to its onlooking mother.
Sandy, who rescued the moose on June 9, said: “We just knew he needed help.
“The momma pinned her ears as we approached, which wasn’t too inviting, but we didn’t hesitate – I know it sounds corny, but I think she knew he was in trouble.
“When his legs got tangled and he flipped over the fence, his body landed on top of his head, so his neck was badly bent under him and all his body weight was on his head – he had no chance at all.
“Lee’s the smart one and knew we should get them back together as fast as we could and with as little human scent on him as possible.
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“If it was up to me, I would have snuggled that little guy until the mom was out of patience and she most likely would have given me a good whoopin’.
“As soon as Lee nudged him, he headed straight for his mother and they trotted off together.
“It was a wonderful feeling, watching them reunited safe and sound.”
