Moose back on the loose after Alaska river rescue

April 10 (UPI) -- Alaska State Troopers, wildlife officials and members of the public came to together to rescue a moose that fell through the ice covering the Chena River.

Gary Niese spotted the moose struggling in the river in the Fairbanks area on Sunday.

"I looked out the window here and right over there you could see this moose fighting for his life," Niese told KTUU-TV. "He was clearly unable to get out of the hole and was fighting with all his effort."

A team of Alaska State Troopers, wildlife officials and other local residents responded to the scene.

The rescuers tied ropes to the moose and were able to pull it back out onto the ice.

"Although tired and cold, the moose was able to stand on its own and thankful for the assistance," Alaska State Troopers said in a Facebook post. "Troopers wished the moose a Happy Easter and warned her of the dangers of thawing river ice."