Badly injured baby moose rescued in northern Ont. after his mother was killed by a truck

Badly injured baby moose expected to survive A baby moose in northern Ontario is on the mend, following a car crash that took the life of its mother and sibling.

A baby moose in northern Ontario is on the mend following a car crash that took the life of its mother and sibling.

The young calf was found by White River resident just outside of the town, where a community effort helped it regain strength.

After the death of its mother, residents used baby formula and even human breast milk to nurse it back to health.

The mother of the calf was struck by a vehicle outside town while still pregnant with this moose and another calf that didn't make it.

“It should have been dead,” said Darryl Godin, who found the moose calf.

“If you look at the pickup truck that hit it, all three should have been dead.”

An early morning phone call from his wife led Godin to the site, where he knew he had to take action.

“It tried getting up when I was there but it had a broken leg,” he said.

“I didn’t want to move it too much so I just grabbed it right away and I put it in the truck. It was cold, it was shivering.”

Baby moose2 A baby moose in northern Ontario is on the mend, following a car crash that took the life of its mother and sibling. (Supplied)

With help from volunteers, the calf was brought to the Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre in Greater Sudbury to be assessed further.

"It had a broken ankle,” said veterinary technician Celina Hockley.

“Just at the bottom near the foot that was broken and fairly displaced. We put a splint on it because it couldn't be realigned. It was pretty painful and swollen, so we stabilized it so it won't cause any further damage or pain while it’s in transport."

The calf has now made its way to the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary outside of Parry Sound, the last stop in its recovery journey.

“Their orthopedic veterinarian that comes up from southern Ontario was visiting their facility this afternoon,” said Gloria Morissette of the Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre.

“It was a great opportunity to have the moose calf there for her to examine. If it does need surgery, she's the wildlife vet for Ontario basically. It couldn't be in better hands."

Vets at Aspen Valley said that X-rays found that the calf has breaks in both of his back legs. They are now in splints.

Luckily, they said that young bones can heal quickly and if all goes well, he eventually will make it back to the wild.

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