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Volunteer firefighters break through river ice to free trapped moose

New Brunswick wildlife are keeping rescue teams busy this winter.

Not long after a local group of men saved a young doe stranded on the St. John River, a moose fell through the ice on the Shediac River.

According to reports, half a dozen volunteer firefighters arrived at the river just before 10 a.m. on Saturday. Unlike the deer, which was unable to stand upright on the slippery ice, the moose had already fallen through. Luckily, the giant mammal wasn’t able to make it too far from shore.

Posted by Services d'Incendie Shediac Fire Department on Saturday, December 10, 2016

The firefighters, who are significantly lighter than the full-grown moose, had no trouble walking out onto the ice in their yellow nylon suits. As they moved closer to the moose, the Shediac RCMP kept curious onlookers at bay, asking them to leave the area so that they wouldn’t scare the animal, which could potentially harm one of its rescuers or the public.

Posted by Services d'Incendie Shediac Fire Department on Saturday, December 10, 2016

When the firefighters reached the moose, they pulled out their axes and began to hack away at the ice, freeing the animal from its cold confines.

According to a Facebook post from the Shediac Fire Department, the firefighters continued to break a path through the ice until the moose was successfully led to shore. It reached the river bank and walked off unharmed a little more than an hour after their arrival.