Out in the Canadian wilderness, animals spend every day fighting for survival. Their lives are full of drama, suspense, and conflict, most of which goes completely unseen by us humans. Every once in a while, though, we catch a glimpse of the amazing struggles they experience — and sometimes even catch them on video.
This video taken in Northern Ontario is a perfect example of the sort of high-stakes life-or-death battles that play out in Canadian wilderness. The footage was captured by Dan Nystedt using a drone and begins as a simple portrait of a moose standing alone in a calm lake. However, when a wolf comes barrelling out of the forest heading straight for the moose, it’s clear we’re about to see an epic showdown.
The two animals square off, standing face-to-face before the much larger moose makes the first move, lashing out with its long, powerful legs. However, the hungry wolf is undeterred, dodging the kicks and standing its ground, looking for an opportunity to lunge.
After repeated kicks and misses, the moose seems to lose its nerve and runs into deeper water, the wolf following close behind. The two continue to spar until, finally, the wolf clamps onto the the moose’s flank, refusing to let go. The moose counters by pulling the predator deeper into the water, circling in a desperate attempt to shake the hunter off.
So how does it end? We don’t want to spoil it, but let’s just say this battle has all the elements of an action film: a face-off, a chase, and a hard-won victory for one of the combatants.
It’s truly incredible to think of animals fighting for their lives like this every day. It’s videos like this that make us grateful for our own afternoons spent at the lake, when the closest we come to mortal combat is wrestling a few hot dogs onto the grill.
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