It was a sticky situation. Two families came across an elk calf stuck in the mud on their ranch in the northern part of New Mexico.
According to KRQE-TV, they used their hands, arms and shovels but to no avail. Each time they thought they made progress, the calf sank back into the mud.
After a lot of effort, they freed the calf but it was too exhausted. Finally, it did indeed stand and scamper away.
(Video source: KRQE-TV)