Not something you see everyday.
http://www.kpvi.com/story.php?id=458...206&hpt=us_bn7
It was a close call for a little furry creature taking a dip, but thankfully there was a lifeguard on duty.
Shooter, a 4-year-old elk at the Pocatello Zoo was in the right place at the right time. Also in the right place at the right time were zoo officials who caught it all on camera.
Dr. Joy Fox, Pocatello Zoo: "Shooter is like playing in the water tank. What's he doing? I was like 'let's look!' So I grabbed my camera."
Grabbing her camera and making her way toward the exhibit, Dr. Joy Fox witnessed the entire rescue unfold.
Dr. Fox: "We thought he was just going to climb in the tank. He was sniffing and pawing and he kept shifting around and looking in the tank."
For 15 minutes shooter circled the tank.
Dr. Fox: "We're not sure if he just sensed that this marmot was in distress or whether he didn't like it in his way. He spent quite a bit of time planning how to grab it."
After Shooter was able to position his antlers and reach into the water, he grabbed the marmot out, set him on the ground, and began nudging him with his hoof.
Kate O'Connor, Pocatello Zoo: "When we saw it down on the ground and he was nudging it and it was moving, we thought 'this is incredible.' He deliberately took that animal out of the tank."
It was a deliberate move that saved a young, wild marmot's life.
Dr. Fox: "I can't believe he did that we were just in shock. All evening I was thinking how unreal it was that we saw him do that."
After a little time in the sun catching his breath, the rescued marmot scampered home.
Officials say the elk’s behavior can be attributed to his lifestyle at the zoo.
Kate: "The basic needs are being met, so you start to see a little bit more elaborate behavior. They're engaging their brains in different ways that would have been basically for survival in the wild, but now is a little more complicated and advanced."
An advanced move that saved one little guy in need of a helping hand—or hoof.
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