LA QUINTA, Calif. — A bighorn sheep is back in the hills of Riverside County after being rescued from a golf-course canal in the desert near Palm Springs.

Animal control officials said this week that algae or moss made the concrete canal too slick for the normally sure-footed sheep to escape.

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A peninsula bighorn sheep is stuck in a canal near the Arnold Palmer Golf Course at the PGA West Country Club in La Quinta, Calif. Animal Control Officer Kyle Stephens said the animal appeared lethargic and he could see hoof marks where the sheep had tried to pull himself out. The Associated Press

An officer managed to hook a line around one of the sheep’s horns and pull the animal to safety at the PGA West Country Club in La Quinta.

Officials say endangered peninsula bighorn sheep often roam onto golf courses to graze on soft grass.