Warning: This account includes violent encounters with an animal.
In Bienfait, Saskatchewan, Angie Tuffnell faced bone-chilling temperatures of -40 when she stepped outside to start her car, seemingly an ordinary day until chaos unfolded.
Angie’s son, Shawn Tuffnell, recalled hearing her cries for help and rushing to find a moose looming over her near the warmth of a dryer vent.
The starving and freezing moose turned aggressive, leading to a harrowing altercation as Shawn intervened by physically engaging with the animal.
Acting on instinct, Shawn bravely approached the moose and landed a punch on its face, causing a split lip but failing to deter the animal. Despite striking the moose with a shovel multiple times, it continued its assault.
Retreating into the house, Shawn found himself in a life-threatening situation as the moose pushed through the doorframe, attempting to reach Angie who was still in danger on the ground.
In a desperate attempt to save his mother, Shawn grappled with the moose, using unconventional tactics to subdue the animal, risking his own safety to protect her.
Quick thinking
The intense confrontation only ended when Angie’s boyfriend arrived with a .22-calibre rifle. Shawn swiftly took control of the situation, shooting the moose to prevent further harm.
Shawn strategically aimed for the moose’s eye to divert its attention away from his mother before firing more shots to incapacitate the animal.
WARNING: Graphic content. Shawn Tuffnell recounts his brave actions to protect his mother from a threatening moose in Bienfait, Saskatchewan.
Subsequent examination by the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative revealed that the moose succumbed to “multiple gunshot wounds to the head,” including a fatal shot that penetrated its brain.
The findings confirmed Shawn’s belief that the moose was weakened due to starvation, lacking essential fat reserves.
Not afflicted by diseases like rabies or chronic wasting, the moose’s actions were driven by hunger and the need for warmth.
“It was a survival instinct,” Shawn emphasized. “The moose was driven by hunger.”