It’s not every day that we’re taken by surprise. This is likely especially true concerning sailors who spend their days exploring the cold, dark, deep seas of the Arctic.
One thing that can jilt you from an average day is when you’re suddenly called on to lend a helping hand.
Like these sailors tasked with rescuing an animal off an iceberg out of the blue, quite literally.
It was definitely not ordinary for the 3 sailors to see an animal stranded on a teetering iceberg.
From afar, they thought they saw a seal, starving and helpless, and in desperate need of help.
The three fishermen- Mallory Harrigan, Cliff Russell, and Allan Russell did something heroic.
Looking at the animal that was feeling hopeless since it wasn’t sure if somebody could be there to help, they didn’t hesitate to step in and rescue that starving creature.
They are heroes for saving a life! For sure, it was an unforgettable experience for them.
The fishermen were sailing on a crab-fishing boat just a few miles away from Labrador, Canada, when they discovered something on a drifting iceberg.
They thought it was a baby seal, but as they moved closer, they recognized an Arctic fox.
Arctic foxes cannot swim, and that is probably why that poor creature didn’t know what to do and just stayed atop the iceberg. Perhaps, the little guy had been there for a while.
He was soaked to the bone and was trying to fend off being attacked by seagulls.
The team acted right at once to save the defenseless fox.
Mallory Harrigan told Bored Panda,
“It had probably got stuck out there looking for a meal. Cliff says he thinks he got out there to check out a bit of meat on the ice, and it broke apart, sending the cute fox out to sea.”
They didn’t know what would happen if there will be some further delay in rescuing the poor guy.
Mallory and her companions immediately rescued the stranded fox from the iceberg.
They pulled the iceberg close to their boat and invited the terrified animal on board. The fox was somewhat cautious since he probably has never seen any human before.
Though the fox felt terrified, they did their best to tempt him to be with them since nobody else could save him at that moment.
Strong winds would have brought him farther out if he refused. Hence, giving up was not an option for the team, and they did their best to lure the fox right into their boat.
“He was trying to run away from us at first, so we had a tough time getting him aboard,” Mallory recalled. “We had to break the ice he was on and get him with the dip net. He fought and fought to get away until he literally couldn’t move anymore.”
When they succeeded in their efforts, the crew made a bed for the terrified animal and made sure that he feels warm and comfortable.
They provided him with food and water to make him healthy again.
The fox may have feared them initially, but knowing there was no other way to escape the drifting ice, we’re happy that he trusted his rescuers.
“We scooped him up, and he retreated to the corner. He was too weak to do anything when we brought him aboard; he slept most of the way! When we came to, he was a bit nervous, but once we fed him, he was pretty calm. He wouldn’t eat at all for the first 5 or 6 hours. We gave him chips and crackers, but he didn’t want anything until he woke up, and we fed him a tin of Vienna sausages.”
He was a lucky guy indeed to be saved from that frightening situation.
When he was sent back safely on dry land, the fox happily went on his way. He may not be able to express his gratitude, but he looked so happy to be free and survive that harsh experience.
According to Mallory, her new buddy still comes around on occasion, mostly scoping out the old dog houses in William’s Harbor.
See how the rescuers saved this lucky fox in the video below!
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