NEW YORK (AP) – A bull elk that fell through the ice of an Adirondack mountain lake was rescued in an arduous cold-water rescue effort by New York state conservation officials.
The moose fell through the ice about 200 feet from the shore of Lake Abernakie around 11 a.m. Thursday, the New York State Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement Friday. The lake is near the town of Indian Lake, about 60 miles (40 km) south of Lake Placid and west of the Vermont state line.
“There is no training manual for pulling a moose out of the ice,” Environmental Conservation Police Lt. Robert Higgins said in a video statement recalling the incident.
Higgins was dispatched to the lake after a passerby reported seeing the moose breaking through the ice. Higgins called for backup and was soon joined by two forest rangers.
Moose in New York state are sometimes poached by humans, and several die each year from being hit by cars, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Protection. All of Americaa cousin of these giant deer face challenges This is due to human-induced habitat loss and human-induced climate change that has resulted in hotter and muggy summers. Invasion of ticksfur may be lost.
Humans came to the elk's rescue. Moose can die from hypothermia and cannot easily climb onto the ice if they fall into the water. Ice rescues are dangerous because the rescuer may fall as well.
“Using ice rescue training, we were able to safely escape,” Forest Ranger Evan Nahor said in a video statement.
First, they wear dry suits. That way, if you end up in the water, you can stay afloat and stay warm. We then used a long metal “spud bar” to test the ice thickness. Thickness varied from approximately 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 centimeters). They brought safety ropes so that if someone fell, others could get out.
They followed the path across the lake, making their way to the elk without breaking through the thickest path, kneeling on top of the sled to distribute their weight.
Forest rangers used chainsaws to cut away sections of ice connecting the area where the moose broke through and the thicker ice, while Higgins pushed blocks of ice down the channel and out of the way.
Moose were expected to swim and crawl up the channel. The bull moose weighs about 1,000 pounds (455 kg), so there was little chance it could be pulled out safely.
The elk couldn't swim into the thick ice, so they tried to herd them into channels they had cut. The bull moose wasn't intimidated by officials or large metal bars.
I was intimidated by their sleds.
“For some reason, they were scared, so once we got behind them, we were able to direct it,” said Matt Savary, another forest ranger.
The giant moose quickly crawled onto the ice, but the cold and constant treading water (the ordeal lasted about two hours) took its toll.
“I was really tired. I was shaking. I didn't have much energy left,” Higgins said. “I didn't know if I could stand up.”
After 15 minutes, I found my footing and stood up.
“It was just an amazing sight to see that huge moose standing right in front of us,” he said.
Then it walked away into the forest.
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