Nature Knows

Man Saves Elk After it Was Buried in an Avalanche – With Only a Nostril And One Eye Peeking Out of the Snow

Controlled avalanches are generally set off in order to prevent larger ones from happening, but that doesn’t mean they’re not without danger.

Jesse Dahlberg was watching as railroad crews using explosives set off a series of small avalanches near the town of Field in southeastern British Columbia when he noticed a lone elk directly in the path of the next manmade snow tsunami.

Although he hoped the elk might be able to outrun the oncoming peril, the animal was engulfed in a wave of white as the avalanche coursed around it on its way down the mountainside.

“I didn’t know how big the avalanche was going to be so I was hoping for the best… When I saw it, I thought there’s no way that elk is going to survive,” Dahlberg told CBC News.. “That wall of snow caught up to that elk so fast and just blasted it.”

Enlisting the aid of a friend, Dahlberg decided to drive over to see if there was any chance the elk might have survived. After parking at a spot close to where the elk was felled, they followed a trail of debris uphill.

Miraculously, Dahlberg saw a portion of the animal’s face peering out from its snowy prison. The elk was also totally immobilized by the weight of the snow in which it was buried.

Once Dahlberg realized the elk was alive, he knew they’d have to act quickly to extricate it. He could only hope that none of its limbs had been fractured by the impact of the avalanche.

Dahlberg began digging with his hands, sending his friend back to their vehicle for a shovel.

Jesse Dalhberg, Facebook
Working steadily, it took them only 15 minutes to dig the elk’s hind legs free. Then, with a little prompting, the hapless critter was able to shake its way clear and walk out of the snowdrift.

“I put my arms up and started cheering because I was so excited that it was alive,” Dahlberg said. “I was so happy.”

Rather than take flight, the forest denizen stood by calmly gazing at its rescuers as they left the scene as if saying a silent “thank you.”

To which Dahlberg might have rightly replied, “You’re very welkcome.”
Source

No comments

, by Back to Nature

Polar Bear Cub Uses It's Very Own Water Taxi

Perhaps the cub was just too tired to take the plunge. Or maybe it didn't fancy taking a dip in the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Either way, it seemed to find the perfect solution to its predicament - by hitching a bear-back ride on its mother. These adorable pictures show the moment a polar bear cub was granted its very own water taxi between the islands of Svalbard in Norway.

Earlier, the pair were spotted on an ice floe floating between the islands. While mother bear seemed to be contemplating her next move, her little one appeared to huddle into the warmth of her thick fur to shield against the bitter winds.

It was after she got into the water the cub clambered on to her back and the pair made a safe passage to mainland. Once back on dry land, mother and child set about exploring the islands - located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole - in their search for food.

The adorable family scene was captured on camera by photographer Kevin Schafer, from Seatte, while he was on a cruise. Kevin, 60, said: 'In 25 years of observing polar bears, this was easily the most moving thing I have ever seen.

'It was a moment of pure tenderness - unusual for such a world-class predator.' He added: 'Small cubs do not have the insulation needed to spend a lot of time in the icy waters. The young bear was probably trying to keep warm.'

Rising temperatures caused by global warming has seen the polar bear's natural habitat fall apart in recent years, resulting in them having to swim longer distances to reach a food supply.

Last year scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder revealed water flowing from the North Atlantic into the Arctic is at its warmest level for more than 2,000 years. According to their research, the sea in the Gulf Stream between Greenland and the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard reached an average of 6C (42F) in recent summers, warmer than at natural peaks during Roman or Medieval times.

Scientists fear the temperature spikes could lead to an ice-free Arctic in years to come and could endanger polar bears, who need the ice in order to survive. Studies show between 1979 and 2009 an area larger than the state of Alaska disappeared.

Hitching a ride: The cub clambers on to its mother's back to avoid the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean... and she seems happy to oblige

Easy street: Perhaps the cub was too tired to take plunge on this occasion... or maybe it just didn't want to brave the ice-cold waters of Svalbard

Taking the plunge: The pair were spotted floating on an ice floe shortly before getting into the water, with the cub appearing to huddle into its mother

Intimate moment: Photographer Kevin Schafer captured the scene during a cruise and said it was most 'moving' thing he had seen in 25 years of observing polar bears Photos by Kevin Schafer.
Source