A herd of elk crossing the Bow River on Sunday morning caught the eye of wildlife photographer Hunter Scrimshaw.
He stopped to snap a few images of the herd near Mount Rundle in Banff, Alta., not far from the town’s pedestrian bridge.
While he was checking his shots, he heard a loud crack.
“Sure enough, I look back and one of the calves had fallen through the ice,” he said.
The calf began to struggle in the frigid water, kicking to keep its head above the surface.
The commotion startled the herd, Scrimshaw said, noting they looked confused for a moment before moving on, leaving the calf behind.
WATCH | An Elk calf is rescued after falling through a frozen river
Wildlife photographer Hunter Scrimshaw heard a loud crack when he saw elk crossing the Bow River on Sunday morning
Scrimshaw urged someone to call Parks Canada. Within minutes, crews responded and called for backup.
“It was amazing to see them jump into action,” he said. “Clearly they had done this before.”
Scrimshaw filmed the rescue, capturing the moment when crews put straps around the calf’s head and pulled it from the river, with cheers erupting from onlookers — Scrimshaw included.
Using a sled, the crews dragged the calf to the shoreline, where they wrapped the tired animal in fire blankets.
After roughly 20 minutes, the calf was able to walk and rejoin its herd along the riverbank.
Scrimshaw estimated that from start to finish, the rescue took less than an hour.
Parks Canada confirmed to CBC News that its crews responded.
“There is a reality to it, if it happened anywhere else, maybe it wouldn’t have been such a happy moment, but for me, I was so stoked to know that Parks has a plan,” Scrimshaw said. “So I was happy to be there and capture that moment.”
According to Parks Canada, elk are the most numerous large animal in Banff National Park.
Officials estimate that over 200 elk live in the lower Bow Valley near the town of Banff.