ESTES PARK, Colo. -- A dive team rescued a young elk who fell through the ice on a small pond in Estes Park over the weekend.

A witness who saw the bull elk falling in the frigid waters called emergency dispatch, who notified the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

The DOW requested a dive rescue team with the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District help remove the animal. When the dive team arrived, they found the 3-year-old bull elk up to his neck in icy waters, panicked and struggling get back onto the land or solid ice, the Estes Park News reported.

He was also quickly becoming more and more distressed with the cold water and with onlookers approaching.

Wearing their cold water suits the dive team carefully moved across the crackling ice out to the animal and grabbed hold of his antlers to hoist him out of the water.

After warming up, the elk regained his strength and trotted off, said Rick Spoward of the DOW.

The elk was in the water approximately one hour, Spowart said.

"If those guys hadn't gotten there so quickly and helped get this elk out of the freezing water, the elk would have most certainly died. A big thank-you goes to these brave members of the dive team who were able to help out this elk," Spoward told the Estes Park News.