KELVINGTON, SASKATCHEWAN — A Canadian tow truck driver made an unexpected detour on his way to two out-of-town jobs on April 26 when he spotted a baby moose stuck in approximately four feet of water and ice near his home — and decided he simply could not leave the animal behind.
Clint Gottinger, owner of Rebel Towing in Kelvington, Saskatchewan, was heading out for work around 5:30 p.m. when he came across the exhausted moose close to his home. He backed his truck as close to the water as he could, slid his deck out to the moose, and carefully placed a soft sling around the animal’s head. The moose, too tired to resist, allowed Gottinger to work around him.
With the help of a neighbor, Gottinger loaded the moose onto the deck of his tow truck and transported him to safety. He called his wife on the way back to the house with an unusual request — bring blankets. She met him in the driveway, confused but ready. The moose sat on the deck wrapped in warm blankets, cold, wet, and exhausted.
Gottinger’s out-of-town customers were understanding about the delay. He nicknamed the moose Rebel — after his own company.
Over the next day, the moose rested on Gottinger’s property, alternating between standing, moving around, and lying down to recover. He even accepted some head scratches before trotting back into the trees on April 28. Gottinger joked that the moose left without paying his bill.
The story had a happy ending. On May 8, Gottinger spotted the baby moose with his mother, healthy and moving through the snow about two kilometers from where he had been rescued. “Acted like he owed me money,” Gottinger wrote in a caption accompanying the update video.
The photos and video went viral on social media, drawing an outpouring of comments from people moved by the rescue. “Smart and kind. That’s more of what we need in the world. Well done,” one commenter wrote.
Story courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
