Video: New Hampshire Officials Rescue Moose from Swimming Pool

  • Share
  • Read Later
Daryl L. Hunter / Getty Images

How many men does it take to rescue a moose from a swimming pool? Nine, to be exact.

That’s how many it took in Manchester, N.H., where police, firefighters and wildlife officials spent four hours untangling a moose from a resident’s backyard pool.

“This train-like noise came through the fence and dove right into the pool,” resident George Trapotsis told WMUR.

“I didn’t get trained on how to do this, that’s for sure,” noted Jack Pushee, of New Hampshire Fish and Game. “There’s a first for everything.”

And a first it was. Attaching a rope to the moose, it took nine men to heave the animal out of the water. Though the moose appeared distressed, rescuers said he wandered back into the woods in good spirits. Officials said it’s common for moose to meander into unfamiliar places during breeding season, but Trapotsis said he hasn’t seen a moose in his backyard in 35 years of living there.

Though Trapotsis is left with extensive damage to his property, he marveled at the experience. “It had to happen so people could see something amazing, something extraordinary, something that will never happen again in a century,” he said.

NewsFeed isn’t sure it’s a once-in-a-lifetime story, but it’s certainly makes for a good “moose on the loose” joke.

MORE: Top 10 Heroic Animals