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While I was on break, a big bull moose wandered up onto the ice on
Loon Lake, about 45 minutes north of me here in Spokane, and fell
through and got stuck. The resulting rescue of the moose was quite
something, and got some national and even international attention.

Since it was "my neck of the woods" so to speak, I thought I would post
some photos of the rescue efforts. These photos are all courtesy of the
Loon Lake Wildlife Gallery via KREM News Spokane.

We have moose wander into Spokane every once in while. They seem
mostly to come in during the Summers and inevitably end up in somebody's
swimming pool. I guess they just want to party. Then the wildlife people
are called and they chase them out of town.

And we have had the occasional bear wander in, too. That one usually
doesn't end up so good. For the bear, that is.

A decade or so back a mountain lion wandered into a Deer Park school.
Luckily it was Summer, and only the custodial crew was there. The cougar
eventually wandered back out and went on his way. Maybe he just wanted
to use the library?

Anyway, here are the Moose Rescue pics.

The bull moose trapped in the ice.

Some local Loon Lake people, finding the
stranded moose, took sledge hammers and an
axe to the ice to try to make a path for it
back to shore.

When that didn't work too well, they
brought in the chain saws.

Eventually a whole bunch of people
showed up.

Finally getting a path cut into the ice
back to the shallows, they encourage the
moose with paddles.

With firmer ground under it, the moose was
finally able to pull itself up onto the ice.

After 2-1/2 hours, safely back to shore!

The rescue team. All heroes!