ÖRNSKÖLDSVIK, SWEDEN — A video uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday shows the nail-biting moment when a group of ice skaters in northern Sweden risked their lives to rescue a moose that was trapped in a frozen lake.

Viktor Johannessen and his partner Sigrid Sjösteen were skating on a lake near their home when they spotted the moose. The couple returned with an axe and tried to rescue the exhausted animal by smashing through the thick layers of ice.

The pair took turns pummeling the ice for 30 minutes straight. They eventually managed to clear a path for the moose to get to shore, and the animal clamored back onto land and disappeared into the woods.

The video, which was uploaded last Wednesday by Johannessen, has accumulated more than 500,000 views.

“This is why humans were put on the planet. We all need to be earthkeepers,” said one commenter. Another said: “Faith in humanity restored.”