'We gave it a fighting chance': Albertans free elk calf stuck in river mud
A leisurely float down a northwestern Alberta river quickly became a rescue situation on Saturday, when several kayakers came across a baby animal in distress.
Curtis Stewart and Chantel Matlock were on the Smoky River about 30 minutes east of Grande Prairie, when they noticed a baby elk stuck in the mud.
"He was pretty tired and super quiet," Stewart told CTV News Edmonton.
"When I first got out of my kayak, I sunk down just about to my hips in the mud. So I could right away understand how stuck the little guy was."
A total of seven people stopped to help dig the animal out. Matlock said many of the rescuers had previous experience with animals, but not rescuing wild ones.
"He kinda hit the jackpot with us coming along: farm kids, a vet tech, people with science backgrounds," she explained.
Kayakers who rescued an elk calf stuck in the mud on the Smoky River near Grande Prairie, Alta. on August 6, 2022 (Source: Chantel Matlock).
"I grew up on an alpaca farm…So I just grabbed the container we had our lunch in, put some water in it and poured it down its throat and it kinda sputtered. It was cute."
Eventually the group was able to free the animal and carry it up a river bank. The calf was left in a field close to where it was found.
Stewart and Matlock hiked to the spot Monday night to check on the elk, but it was no longer there.
"We found lots of hoof prints around, so we're hoping that the mom came and found it. We're optimistic," Stewart said.
"We kind of thought we gave it a fighting chance and we'll let nature take its course after that," Matlock said.
'REALLY COMMENDABLE' BUT POTENTIALLY 'VERY DANGEROUS'
A local wildlife expert applauded the rescue, but wanted to remind people to call Alberta Fish and Wildlife or organizations like his for advice before attempting to help other wild creatures.
"It's really commendable what these folks did," said Dale Gienow, Executive Director of WILDNorth.
"Clearly that elk stuck in the mud wouldn't have made it and if mom came to retrieve it, there's a reasonable chance she gets stuck too."
Gienow said his biggest safety concern in that situation would have been the parents of the calf.
"Elk moms can be very protective of their young and very dangerous. There have been mortalities associated with people handling calves in close proximity to a parent animal, even accidentally getting close to a calf when mom's around," he explained.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife recommends people leave wildlife alone in most situations, but the government does maintain a list of wildlife rehabilitation groups that people can call for help.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Alison MacKinnon
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.