In a remarkable display of courage and compassion, two 70-year-old retired prospectors became unlikely heroes when they risked their lives to save a moose desperately trapped in deep mud near Timmins, Ontario. Maurice Valliere and Pat Greba’s extraordinary rescue effort showcases the kind of community spirit and love for animals that defines rural Canada.
The Call for Help
The rescue began when an 82-year-old friend of Valliere’s called with an urgent report: he’d discovered a moose trapped deep in the forest while taking soil samples, roughly 20 feet from the road. The animal was in dire straits and needed immediate help. When Valliere attempted to contact Ontario’s Ministry of Development, Mining, Natural Resources, and Forestry, he couldn’t reach anyone. Unwilling to wait, he called his longtime friend Greba, and the two sprang into action.
A Challenging Search and Discovery
Valliere and Greba jumped on an all-terrain vehicle and headed toward their friend’s location. What should have been a straightforward rescue turned into a two-hour search through the dense forest. “When I got to the trail I couldn’t see anything,” Valliere recalled to BlogTO. “Then I looked to the side and all I saw was a head. I said ‘Holy Jesus, this thing is really stuck! He’s not stuck, he’s buried!'”
The sight that greeted them was heartbreaking. The moose was so deeply embedded in the thick mud that only its head was visible above the surface. Its mouth and eyes were caked with mud as it struggled helplessly.
Calming the Panicked Animal
The rescue was far more complicated than expected. The confused and exhausted moose was understandably defensive, its instincts telling it to fight back. “I felt so sorry for him. His mouth was full of mud and his eyes were full of mud,” Valliere said emotionally. “He started to fight back, tried to reach me with his legs, but couldn’t reach high enough.”
That’s when an unexpected ally stepped in: Valliere’s white Labrador Retriever. The dog approached the terrified moose calmly, lay down beside it, and rested his head. The moose’s demeanor changed instantly.
“The dog just went up to the moose and laid there and put his head down, and the moose looked at the dog and was like ‘oh, okay,'” Valliere explained. “He must have realized we were there to help him, or he was just exhausted, but he calmed right down.” With the animal finally settled, the two men could work together to carefully extract it from the mud.
A Successful Rescue
After working through the physically demanding extraction, Valliere and Greba successfully freed the moose from its muddy trap. The relief was palpable for both the rescuers and their four-legged helper.
“I felt good that we got him out, ’cause I felt so sorry for him. He was struggling and struggling and just couldn’t do it,” the men reflected on their achievement. The dramatic photos captured by Greba during the rescue were later shared by their friend Bill Desloges on Facebook, where they quickly went viral, inspiring people across the region.
Community Spirit and Humility
Despite their heroic efforts, Valliere and Greba remained humble about their accomplishment. They insisted they weren’t doing anything extraordinary—just what any compassionate person in Timmins would do.
“We didn’t think it was that much of a big deal because everyone in Timmins would have probably went out and helped,” Valliere said. “We all love our animals here.”
This incredible wildlife rescue story reminds us that extraordinary acts of kindness often come from ordinary people with big hearts. Valliere and Greba’s actions—and their unlikely rescue companion—prove that when animals are in danger, community compassion can make all the difference.