RCMP Sergeant Darrell Robinson was called to an unusual rescue in southeastern British Columbia this week.
Someone driving along Highway 95A near Kimberley noticed an elk in distress on Dec. 10. Sgt. Robinson arrived to find a cow elk lying helplessly on her side with two legs caught in the wires of a fence. He yanked at the barbed wire to free one leg. Then, the animal began thrash around on the ground.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay,” he says.
(The entire encounter was caught on video.)
He grabbed wire cutters to release the other leg. It didn’t take long for the elk to stand up and walk away looking a little sore.
“You’ll be alright,” an officer says as the elk wandered into the woods.
Police suspect the animal was trapped for at least an hour. If not for the good Samaritan – and police efforts – the elk could have suffered a painful death or be attacked by predators, Mounties say.
“The public often call us when there is crisis or immediate assistance is required, in this case we were able to respond quickly, free the animal and allow her to get back to nature, unharmed,” RCMP Corporal Chris Newel says in a statement.
RCMP warn this video of the encounter may be disturbing to some, but point out, it does have a happy ending.
Photo rcmptv/YouTube
