The aim was to check out conditions after a heavy snowfall blanketed the region. But a day of snowmobiling in western Newfoundland, Canada became an impromptu rescue mission after the group stumbled across a moose buried in some 6ft of snow.

“We noticed a head sticking up out of the snow,” said Jonathan Anstey of Sledcore snowmobiling riding clinic. “We weren’t sure what it was at first, but when we looked closer it was a full-size bull moose, up to his neck – literally – in snow.”

‘I wouldn’t suggest anybody else try it, but in this situation we felt comfortable doing what we did,’ said Jonathan Anstey. Photograph: @sledcore/facebook

The animal’s back half was seemingly trapped in a bog hole, leaving it fighting frantically to gain its footing.

“Moose, when they get agitated, they pin their ears back flat and the hair stands up on their back and they lick their lips aggressively,” he said. “So he was doing all these things.”

A few of the eight-member group grabbed shovels and approached the moose from the back, hoping to keep a safe distance from the animal’s thrashing.

“A full grown bull moose can reach up to 1,000, 1,200lb easily. They can inflict some serious damage if they intend to,” said Anstey. “I wouldn’t suggest anybody else try it, but in this situation we felt comfortable doing what we did.”

After a few minutes of digging, the group managed to carve out a path behind the animal. The snowmobilers then moved about 50ft away, watching as the moose crawled out of the hole. It stuck around for a few seconds, shaking itself off. “And then he gave us a look or two and trotted on his way,” said Anstey.

The group also continued on their way, coming across several other moose that were struggling to make their way through snow as high as the animals’ torsos. “But we kept our distance and let them do their thing and kind of left them alone.”

The rescue marked the second time that Anstey has helped a moose in distress – the last time was some eight years ago after he spotted a moose that had lost its footing on a hillside and ended up sliding on its back into a pair of trees. Anstey, who was by himself, managed to pry the animal loose but it later succumbed to its injuries.

Still, Anstey stressed that moose should be left alone as much as possible. “We’d like to be known as a back-country riding clinic and not a moose rescuer,” he said. “You’re in their home when you’re traveling in the backcountry, so we don’t want to add to that.”