SHEDIAC, N.B. -- New Brunswick firefighters who freed a 225-kilogram female moose from a frozen Shediac River last weekend are getting an award for the rescue.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is sending a Compassionate Fire Department Award to the Shediac Fire Department.

"These firefighters had the determination and the know-how that it took to save this young moose from a slow, icy death," PETA vice-president Colleen O'Brien said Thursday.

Firefighter Jos LeBlanc, who took a video of the rescue, said the moose first appeared agitated by the axe-swinging firefighters, but soon calmed down and simply watched them work.

"She probably figured we were trying to help her not harm her, so she was calm," he said.

Firefighters smashed a path to the shore, where the animal was able to climb the riverbank and run off into the woods.

LeBlanc said it is unclear whether the moose was otherwise able to recover from its time in the frigid river. The rescue took about 90 minutes, meaning it spent at least two-and-a-half hours in the river.

"It was like minus 14 or 15 during the night, so it was kind of cold," he said. "I don't know if she was able later on to get warm under the trees, I don't know what happens with the wild animals."

O'Brien said she hopes the story will inspire people everywhere to come to the aid of wildlife in need.

"It absolutely shows a lot of compassion and bravery on their part. I'd like to think that when people see an animal in need, or a human for that matter, that they'll come to their aid," she said in an interview from her office in Washington, D.C.

"It's really, really heartwarming to see people who will go out of their way to help animals."

LeBlanc said it's simply part of their job.

"Any living thing we try to help -- if it's a bird, a dog, a cat, anything that's in distress, we try to help, any way we can."

He said he didn't think any of the firefighters involved in the rescue were hunters.

O'Brien said PETA hands out about three awards each month across the United States and Canada.

"We awarded a man in Ontario who helped a skunk whose head was stuck in a soda can. We gave an award to the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority for actually stopping a train to save a cat who was on the tracks," she said.

PETA is sending the Shediac Fire Department a box of vegan cookies, a letter of congratulations and a copy of The Engine 2 Diet -- a Texas firefighter's 28-day plan for staying in shape by eating plant-based meals.