Hero man throws himself into frozen lake to save duck trapped under ice
THESE EXTRAORDINARY photos show the moment a selfless animal lover leapt into action to save a duck trapped under a thick layer of ice – before giving it mouth-to-mouth.
With little thought of his own safety – or warmth – brave Norwegian Lars Jørun Langøien plunged into an ice-cold lake to free the helpless duck.
He managed to pull it up on solid ground, give it a towel and a bit of mouth-to-mouth, actually
Mr Langøien, 38, spotted the duck in distress while he was attending his weekly swim with a work colleague.
Fellow swimmer Yngvil Søholt, 33, was photographing the duck as it wandered along the surface of the ice.
But their amusement turned to horror as Mr Søholt and Mr Langøien watched the billed bird plunge through a hole in the ice.
The pair described how the disorientated duck then couldn't find its way back to the break in the ice.
Mr Søholt continued to photograph the bird as it scrabbled around –centimetres from the surface.
He said: "I stood a bit paralysed and didn't quite understand what happened.
"I didn't have time to think before Lars jumped in and broke the ice towards the duck.
"He managed to pull it up on solid ground, give it a towel and a bit of mouth-to-mouth, actually."
Animal lover Mr Langøien told VG news: "It felt like the right thing to do."
Mr Søholt branded his friend "a hero".
