Using an excavator, rescuers gingerly lifted the moose out of the 9-foot-deep well.
PEMBROKE, Maine — A bull moose trapped in an abandoned well was saved after a five-hour rescue effort in northern Maine last week.
The ordeal began on Wednesday when landowner Cole Brown noticed movement on his family’s forested property. At first, he thought the sound came from wild turkeys. But when he got closer, he spotted something much larger—antlers jutting out through the brush.
“He walked over and saw just the antlers sticking up,” said Brown’s stepsister, Delaney Gardner, who recorded the rescue. “Right away he realized he’d need help, because an animal that size could be injured or badly stuck.”
The family contacted the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, which sent a biologist to the scene. After sedating the moose, wardens carefully secured straps around the animal. With the help of an excavator provided by the family, rescuers slowly hoisted the massive creature from the nine-foot-deep well.
Once the sedation wore off, the moose bounded back into the woods. “No worse for wear other than maybe a bruised ego,” the agency wrote on Facebook.
For Gardner, the moment was unforgettable. “It was such a mix of relief and happiness,” she said. “This majestic animal was in such a dangerous spot, and to watch so many people come together to help—it was heartwarming.”
The family had no idea the decades-old well existed on their 100-acre property until the accident. Since the rescue, they’ve covered it for safety and are considering whether to reopen it for use, as it may still provide a viable water source.
“For now, it’s capped, so no more people or animals will stumble into it,” Gardner said.