Exhausted Moose Trapped in Wire Freed by Deputy in Idaho

A sheriff’s deputy in northern Idaho freed a young moose that was found lying on the ground with its head and body wrapped in a roll of wire fencing.

Body camera footage released by the Latah County Sheriff’s Office shows Deputy Frantz approaching the exhausted animal in a backyard on the morning of October 14, then using long-handled cutters to snip the wire away from its head and legs while telling it, “Okay buddy.” Once free, the moose gets back on its feet and moves off.

The sheriff’s office said the deputy “responded to a welfare check on a juvenile moose who was having beef with some wire,” adding that the moose “was cut loose and sent on his way, safe, sound, and full of apples.”

The video was posted on October 16 and has since drawn about 2.6 million views on Facebook.