Summit County Citizens Voice

Animal rescue ends well for everyone

Summit County officials rescued a moose calf in the Peak 7 neighborhood of Breckenridge after it fell into a window well.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local sheriffs and firefighters teamed up with animal control workers last weekend to successfully rescue a moose calf that had fallen into the window well of house in the Peak 7 area near Breckenridge.

The sheriff’s department said the homeowners heard noises outside their house about 2 a.m. Saturday but didn’t go outside to look because they thought it might be a bear.

The trapped animal was reported to authorities about 7:30 a.m. after the calf was discovered in a three-foot deep window well near the front of the house.

Initial efforts to coax the calf to climb out using a ramp with slats for traction failed because the calf was too frightened and the board was too slick. Eventually, the calf, estimated to be a month old and weighing around 75 pounds, was lifted out of the window well using a thick webbing strap and turned loose to join its family.

There were a few nervous moments, as both of the calf’s parents and its twin remained in close proximity to the calf’s location.

“We could hear them crashing around in the woods, and the residents had reported that the mother had been pretty aggressive earlier in the week,” said Sheriff’s Office Deputy Daric Gutzwiller, one of the initial responders. “So we kept a pretty close eye out.”

“Working in a mountain environment, with challenging weather and wildlife certainly presents unique opportunities and challenges,” said Red, White & Blue Fire Chief Lori Miller. “One minute, our firefighters are rescuing people out of an elevator, and the next, they’re outside rescuing a moose calf out of a window well,” she said.

Filed under: Uncategorized