Fishing Crew in Canada Rescue a Creature Trapped on an Iceberg

A crab fishing crew was busy seeking out the day’s catch in the frigid waters off Labrador, Canada. The experienced crew of the Northern Swan – Cliff Russell, Alan Russell, and Mallory Harrigan – were no strangers to the North Atlantic’s rough and icy waters. However, they encountered something unusual on this trip.

It was an ordinary day on the Northern Swan, the boat owned by the three crew members. The crew were sailing in the direction of the town of Pinsent’s Arm. They intended to get fuel there as they usually do.

The crew spotted a large iceberg around four miles off the coast. The fact that it resembled a mushroom caught the group’s attention. However, that wasn’t all. There was something more unbelievable that caught their eyes.

In an effort to identify the animal, the crew initially assumed that the animal was some sort of sea creature, like a seal. However, seals are marine mammals that dwell mostly in cold climates – no healthy seal would look that distressed on an iceberg.

As the crew drew closer, they realized it was not a seal, or even a sea creature. The crew concluded that it was not a sea mammal because it looked like it couldn’t swim. If it couldn’t swim, that meant the poor creature was stranded on the iceberg with no relief in sight.

Fortunately, husband-and-wife team Mallory and Cliff, and their son Alan, were all up to the challenge. There was no way the three of them were going to sail past the stranded animal without helping it. 

Indeed, icebergs can be very hazardous. The crew had to perform this mission with extreme caution, in order to avoid injury or worse. 

As the crew drew closer to the iceberg, they were taken aback. Harrigan spoke of the emotions they felt in an interview with The Dodo a few days after the shocking incident. “We believed it was a baby seal,” she explained.

The crew members of the Northern Swan were surprised when they realized the creature they were staring at wasn’t a sea animal at all. It wasn’t a creature you’d expect to encounter out here in the middle of the ocean.

The Arctic fox is a carnivore that prefers to live inland, away from the beaches and the ocean. In order to survive, they are reliant on the presence of smaller creatures (most commonly lemmings). Burrowing is a common way of life for Arctic foxes.

As Harrigan explained, “It had probably been lost out there trying to find something to eat. Cliff believes he went out to look at some meat on the ice when it split apart, sending the little fox sailing out to sea.” 

Arctic foxes are hardy animals that thrive in climates humans couldn’t handle without plenty of tools, warm clothing, supplies, and survival gear. They’re fine with frigid Arctic temperatures as low as –58°F in the treeless land they call home. 

The little fox appeared to be on the verge of death because it was very malnourished and exposed to extreme cold. The predicament of the animal moved Harrigan and the Russells, but they were hesitant to step in and help.

However, the crew was persistent and decided to take action with the aim of saving the little fox’s life. When the boat got close enough to the iceberg, they threw some bait to get the animal to come aboard.

It was difficult to get the fox on board at first since it thought it might be attacked by the humans. The little fox must have been completely perplexed by what was happening to it, especially in light of the fact that it was already suffering.

However, the workers put their fears aside and focused on the task at hand. After all, if they abandoned the animal, it would very certainly die, and they could not let that happen to the poor little fox.

The animal continued to put up a valiant battle. To regain control over the situation, the team had to move quickly. The fox was struggling to avoid getting in the hands of the crew.

The fox struggled mightily once it was submerged in the frigid water, but it eventually ran out of energy. When that moment came, the crew had no problem lifting the small fox aboard as it was not fighting anymore.

In an interview with People, Harrigan described how the fox crawled into a corner and curled into a ball. This may have been because the fox was still afraid of the crew members, or it could have been its way to maintain what body warmth it had left.

The crew were concerned that their rescue efforts might have been in vain since the fox was refusing to eat. In the fox’s world, this was still a strange and dangerous situation. It had no way of knowing what was happening to it. 

According to Harrigan, the fox fell asleep almost immediately after curling up in its bed. It must have been sleep-deprived given the situation it was rescued from. The crew could only imagine the stress it suffered when it was stranded on the berg.

The little fox did wake up eventually. As Harrigan described to Bored Panda, this was the time at which it finally consumed some food. It must have been a relief for the crew when the creature finally ate the nourishing food they were offering.

The fox appeared to relax a little after the crew indicated to him that they were only trying to help him. The little guy must have been afraid of the crew at first, which is why he was acting hostile and evasive.

Although it’s impossible to know for sure how long the little fox had been trapped on the iceberg, his appearance did provide one hint. It was only later that a friend of Harrigan told them that an Arctic fox should have brown fur at this time of year. This allows them to remain hidden once the ice has thawed.

As Harrigan said, the Arctic fox became stranded on that iceberg, most likely while on the prowl for some food. It’s likely that the animal was just trying to survive, but he ended up getting into a difficult predicament. 

If the crew had not passed by that iceberg at precisely the right moment, the fox would have been stranded at sea, with little chance of returning to land. In the worst-case scenario, the fox would have perished on the ice. 

In the end, it was luck – and a caring bunch of individuals – that saved the fox’s life. After the fox had been fed, his saviors let him go so that he could run free on the land and get back to living his own life.

This little Arctic fox has become somewhat of a celebrity as a result of his harrowing experience. News of his rescue spread all over the world, and many people were touched by this incredible story.

Harrigan was overjoyed for the little Arctic fox. She was also thrilled that she had a hand in saving him from the iceberg. “He became the buzz of our small neighborhood, but we never anticipated him to create waves around the world!” she said in an interview with People.