When you live close to the sea, you encounter many weird things. The cold regions of Canada house many animals that have adapted to the harsh weather. It wouldn’t be surprising for fishers to meet some seals or bears close to the shore, but they didn’t expect to see this animal stranded on an iceberg.
Thanks to Mallory Harrigan and her boyfriend Cliff Russell, the poor starving and helpless animal would have a new chance at life. Here’s what happened…
20. The Three Rescuers
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Three fishers, Mallory Harrigan, Cliff Russell and Allan Russell, were off shore from Labrador, when after a few miles, they come across something weird. There was a mushroom-shaped iceberg drifting to the sea… Something was on top of it.
19. Swimming Was Out of the Question
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Drifting helplessly, an animal was stranded on the iceberg, and at first sight, the fishers believed it was a seal. But unfortunately for it, a creature that wasn’t fit for swimming was captive on the iceberg and had no chance of surviving.
18. Seagulls Ready to Attack
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On the Iceberg, an Arctic fox was clinging to the ice. It looked terrified, it was wet and threatened by circling seagulls. This is what Mallory Harrigan had to say about their whole unexpected rescue mission.
17. Stuck on the Iceberg
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‘It had probably got stuck out there looking for a meal,’ said Harrigan. She then added that “Cliff says he thinks he got out there to check out a bit of meat on the ice and it broke apart, sending him out to sea.”
16. How to Catch a Fox?
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It was a terrible fate for the poor fox, so the fishing crew knew they had to stop and try to help the freezing fox. They approached the iceberg and prepared to catch the fox. You can imagine it was quite a difficult task!
15. A Complicated Rescue Mission
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Thanks to their vessel – the Northern Swan, which could batter the iceberg, the rescuers could get to the fox. But the furry animal wouldn’t stop fighting to survive, said Mallory.
14. It Was a Long Chase…
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‘He was trying to run away from us at first we had a really hard time getting him aboard,’ explained Mallory. But then, they had no choice, so they had to break the ice he was on. You won’t believe what the fox did!
13. The Fox Was Finally Safe
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‘He fought and fought to get away until he literally couldn’t move anymore,’ added Mallory. They finally got the poor fox with the dipnet. Allan, Cliff’s son, was the one who caught the fox with the dipnet. Then, they made the fox a bed…
12. Getting Some Rest
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The crew created a bed to place the exhausted fox and allow it to recover, said Mallory: ‘we scooped him up and he retreated to the corner. He was too weak to do anything when we brought him aboard, he slept most of the way!’
11. Time for a Feast!
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After the fox woke up and the fishers came to check on him, Mallory said that ‘he was a bit nervous but once we fed him he was pretty calm.’ You won’t believe what this fox wanted for dinner #9!
10. This Fox is Quite Picky
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Mallory said that she had a tough time making the fox eat ‘he wouldn’t eat at all for the first 5 or 6 hours. We gave him chips and crackers but he didn’t want anything.’ But as he woke up, he was famished.
9. These Are My Faves!
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‘He woke up and we fed him a tin of Vienna sausages,’ said Mallory. The fox accepted sausages and probably found out these are his favorite dish! As soon as the crew reached dry land, they released the fox…
8. An Empty Doghouse
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Mallory said that they found a doghouse and they dropped him off there. The fox was well rested, had his feast and then as soon as he was free, he just ‘shook himself off and that was it!’
7. A Good Place to Start Off
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The woman also explained that the island they left the fox on has a lot of ‘little critters and stuff’ to keep him full and that there are also some ponds around. She also said that his fur should be brown, and here’s why…
6. Keeping His Winter Coat
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Arctic foxes shed their winter coat when temperatures rise, but Mallory said that ‘he was on that piece of ice for so long that it never changed colour.’ But this is not how the story ends!
5. Roaming About and Paying Some Visits
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The fox is now free to roam the island, and Mallory with her crew are happy to have saved him. She said that they ‘can still see him from time to time’ because he explores some old dog houses in William’s Harbour.
4. A New Home
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It seems that this fox really likes sleeping in doghouses! He occasionally visits his rescuers to show them he’s grateful for being given a second chance at life. Mallory joked that ‘the real hero here was the vienna sausages.’
3. A Happy Story
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The story became viral on the internet, with many news outlets writing about their rescue mission. People on social media were happy to see that the fox was alright. This is what a person said about the fishers…
2. The World Still Has Compassionate People
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‘It’s so nice to see there are still compassionate and caring people in the world, many thanks to the crew of this fishing boat,’ wrote someone on social media. An act of kindness from this crew saved an animal’s life.
1. A New Life
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It might have taken only a little time to save this poor animal, but it certainly changed its life. We’re sure that this little guy won’t go on unscheduled sailing trips in the future!