In the early hours of February 7th, a compassionate individual was out walking her dog, beginning her day with a simple act of kindness. In the distance, she noticed a distressed creature that had broken through the ice, finding itself trapped in the frozen waters. Other concerned neighbors had gathered, and they collectively recognized the need for immediate action to rescue what appeared to be a young moose stranded in the icy predicament.

Assured by the neighbors that proper channels had been alerted, including professional rescuers, the Good Samaritan returned to her home. However, as the day progressed and reached around 1:30 pm, she was drawn back to the scene, this time with intentions of ice fishing. To her dismay, she realized that the baby moose was still struggling in the icy water, left without the aid that had been promised earlier.

Feeling a deep sense of responsibility and empathy, the individual contacted a local wildlife shelter in Napanee, ON. Unfortunately, they were unable to provide immediate assistance due to a lack of available volunteers. Faced with the distressing situation and unable to ignore the suffering animal, she made a courageous decision: to take matters into her own hands and rescue the stranded creature.

Undeterred by the cold, she enlisted the help of a willing neighbor. Together, they ventured onto the ice, cautious of its thinness near the edges. Armed with determination and her cellphone recording the unfolding rescue mission, they soon discovered that the animal they were attempting to save was not a young moose as initially thought, but rather a full-grown deer.

Despite the challenges posed by freezing waters, they managed to extricate the deer from its perilous position. Cold and soaked, they left the deer on the safety of the snow, using a sweatshirt to try and dry the shivering creature. After ensuring the deer's immediate safety, the compassionate individual made her way back home.

Upon her return, her boyfriend had arrived from work, and together they hatched a plan to provide proper care for the rescued deer. Gathering dry clothing and their ice fishing equipment, they returned to the ice-covered scene. Using an ice fishing sled and a blanket, they carefully transported the deer to a shelter where it could receive the necessary treatment for hypothermia. The ordeal had left the lower part of the deer's body frozen and in dire need of attention.

In this remarkable tale of empathy and determination, a simple walk with a dog evolved into a heroic endeavor to save a distressed animal. The actions of the Good Samaritan and her willing neighbor not only demonstrate the power of compassion but also the profound impact that one individual's efforts can have in the face of adversity.

Occurred on February 7, 2023 / Gananoque, Ontario, Canada

Info from Licensor: "That morning around 10:30 am I was walking my dog. I saw from afar an animal that had gone through the ice to frozen water. There were some neighbours looking as well, and I said we have to rescue the baby moose (that is what I thought it was from far away). Neighbours told me that they have already called the right channels and that they were sending professional rescuers. I went back home. Around 1:30 pm, I decided to go ice fishing. When I was already set up to start fishing, I noticed that the baby moose was still in the frigid water and moving, no rescue had come. So, from the ice, I called the wild animal shelter in Napanee, ON but they said they didn’t have any volunteers to come for the rescue. I decided to rescue the poor animal myself. I couldn’t go to bed thinking that this baby was still moving and nobody did anything to help him. The animal shelter called me back to let me know that there was a neighbour willing to help me. We walked through the ice, but close to the edge was thin, so we got our feet wet. Then I put my phone on the tree to record the rescue mission. We realized it was not a baby moose but a grown-up deer. After that, this neighbour and I were extremely cold because we got so wet. We left the deer safe on the snow after trying to dry him with my sweatshirt. I walked home. By that time, my boyfriend was home from work, so I put on dry clothing and we took our ice fishing sled and blanket back on the ice. We put the deer on the sled to take him to a shelter where he could be treated for hypothermia. The lower part of his body was frozen."