A female moose has been euthanized after rescue crews shut down a road in Ontario cottage country and brought in construction equipment in hopes of saving the injured animal stuck in a deep pond.

But the sad story has a twist ending: the moose was pregnant – a fact that rescuers didn’t realize until late in the day – and she lived just long enough to deliver two newborn calves.

The precarious rescue mission began Wednesday morning after the adult moose was found lying in a pond beside a rural road east of Rosseau, about 225 kilometres north of Toronto.

Officials say the animal was struck by a vehicle around 5 a.m. and stumbled into the deep water, where she became stuck.

A team of police officers, construction crew and wildlife officials joined forces in hopes of rescuing the injured animal. Ontario Provincial Police closed down the road, and workers from the Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary tranquilized the moose to ensure its safety.

Howard Smith, managing director of the wildlife centre, then paddled toward the moose in a boat and held its head above water after it had been sedated.

“Being in the water, we had to be careful that she didn’t drown, so we had to hold her head up and keep her eyes covered, which keeps her quieter as well before the drug takes full effect,” Smith told CTV Northern Ontario.

The trickiest part was moving the moose. Crews used chains and ropes to get a hold on the moose and drag it through the water. Construction crews used an excavator with a large scoop to hoist the animal out of the water and onto the back of a pickup truck.

The moose was brought to the wildlife sanctuary, where staff learned that she had a badly broken hind leg and would need to be euthanized.

However, upon closer inspection, officials realized that the animal was carrying two calves. While the mother was still heavily tranquilized, a Cesarean section was performed on the animal, and two calves – a male and female – were born.

Even without their mother, both calves are expected to survive. They will be bottle-fed by staff at the sanctuary, and may be eventually introduced to a female moose at the facility.

With a report from CTV Northern’s Rob Cooper