Video: Moose rescued after falling through ice in New York
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said once the moose was out of the water, it made several attempts to stand up before regaining its strength and walking off the ice into the woods.
Moose rescued after falling through ice of New York lake
Lieutenant Robert Higgins and Forest Ranger Evan Nahor were there to help free the moose from the lake in Indian Lake, New York. They join FOX Weather to talk about the process of the rescue.
INDIAN LAKE, N.Y. – A stranded moose was saved from the icy waters of Lake Abanakee in upstate New York.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) forest rangers and environmental conservation police officers (ECO) conducted the rescue on Jan. 16 after someone called to report a moose that fell through the ice roughly 200 feet from shore and couldn't get out on its own.
When officers arrived, they began working to free the moose from the frozen lake. Forest rangers Evan Nahor and Matt Savarie talked about their experience helping to free the moose from the ice.
7 WAYS TO STAY SAFE ON ICE, AND WHAT TO DO IF YOU FALL THROUGH
Watch: Moose rescued after falling through icy lake in New York
A moose was rescued by Forest Rangers and Environmental Conservation Police Officers after falling into the icy waters of Lake Abanakee on Jan. 16.
"We knew that time wasn't on our side, but we knew that it wasn't going to take forever to do what we needed to do," Nahor said in a NYS Department of Environmental Conservation video.
The rangers and Lieutenant Robert Higgins, along with the ECOs, made a plan to cut a channel through the ice to guide the moose toward shore and out of the water.
Savarie said the ice varied in thickness from 1 to 4 inches, so cutting through it with a chainsaw was quick work. Lt. Higgins removed the ice blocks after they were cut out, the DEC said.
"We all knew our role. We were all working together, and we were able to cut that path and get the ice out of the way and move pretty seamlessly," Savarie said.
VERMONT MAN JUMPS INTO ICY RIVER TO SAVE STRUGGLING DOG FROM CERTAIN DEATH: 'FOREVER BE MY HERO'
'Forever be my hero': Man braves icy river to rescue drowning dog
The snowy landscape of Berlin, Vermont, witnessed a heartwarming act of heroism when a local man braved the frigid Winooski River to rescue a struggling dog. Chris MacRitchie joins FOX Weather to detail what happened.
Video showed the rangers guiding the moose down the cut path, coaxing it forward with a jet sled on either side.
"It was amazing. I mean I was really surprised it was able to climb itself out onto the ice after being in the water for two hours," said Lieutenant Higgins, with ECO police.
The DEC said once the moose was out of the water, it made several attempts to stand up before regaining its strength and walking off the ice into the woods.