Kent and Steve Ballan were just trying to sneak in a bit of rock pile fishing on Northwestern Ontario’s Rainy Lake when they came across a much bigger catch than they expected. A young moose, swimming in circles well out from shore, seemingly anchored to the bottom of the lake.
By the time they reached the struggling animal, its head was barely above water. They were able to secure a rope around it and pull it loose. The video capturing their efforts made waves after reporter Mitch Calvert covered the story for the Fort Frances Times.
According to Steve Ballan, ‘We looked over and about 500 to 600 yards away we saw this thing swimming around. At first we thought it was a bear, but we noticed a cabin over there, so we thought it might have been a dog.”
Ballan added, “We kept watching it from afar and it was swimming around in circles in the same circle for 40 minutes or so.”
After coaxing the moose back to dry land, the group is justifiably upset when it scoots right back into the water. One theory for the moose’s erratic behaviour is that it may have brain worm, which causes slower movements and response time, as well as frequent stumbling.
Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show the ultimate fate of the moose, but we salute the helpful fishermen for doing their best to help an animal in peril.
