During their time on a crab-fishing boat near the Labrador coast in Canada, Mallory Harrigan and her colleagues observed an uncommon sight. A mushroom-shaped iceberg, considerable in size, caught their attention about four miles away from the shoreline. As they drew nearer, they discovered an unintentional passenger stuck on top of it. Harrigan stated that initially, they assumed it was a baby seal until they examined it closely.
As it turned out, the creature aboard the iceberg was not a typical ocean-dwelling animal but an Arctic fox that was in serious peril. Instead of abandoning the fox to the harsh destiny that awaited him, Harrigan and her colleagues opted to lend a hand. They maneuvered their boat towards the iceberg and carefully rescued the frightened fox, bringing it to safety.
“We were able to get him aboard even though he fought it,” Harrigan told THE DODO. “We knew we were his only chance for survival, as the winds had changed and were driving all the ice farther out to sea.”
Although the fox had been on the brink of giving up all hope, that sense of hope was swiftly restored. Harrigan and her unanticipated team of fox rescuers hastily arranged a cozy bed on their boat and provided nourishment to help the exhausted creature regain its vigor and warmth.
Afterward, they embarked on the journey back to the mainland together. Upon reaching the harbor, Harrigan and her crew gave the fox a few more bites to eat before releasing it. “We placed him in an old doghouse,” she recounted. “He shook himself off and that was that!”
Although Harrigan and her companions spent only a few minutes going the extra mile to rescue the fox, that single act of kindness altered everything for the little creature.
“We’re glad to have saved an animal,” Harrigan said. “We can still see him from time to time!”