Anchorage biologist says too-tame moose might have to be killed
Published Thursday, July 10, 2008
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Stumble It!ANCHORAGE -- Anchorage's state wildlife biologist was exasperated after a man approached a moose to scratch its ears for about 15 minutes.
State wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott says the moose will have to be killed if it gets too used to people.
The petting incident happened Tuesday night in west Anchorage when a man walked up to a yearling moose in a park during a soccer game and began scratching its head.
Sinnott says the moose-petter, Beau Bodnar, wasn't doing anything illegal, saying "we can't write citations for stupidity, unfortunately."
Moose are unpredictable animals that have kicked people to death in Anchorage in the past.
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Sounds like that guy is a prime candidate for next year's Darwin awards.
Awww pet the cute moosie... AGHHRR MY LEG!
I hope none of the kids at that game got the idea that moose are domestic animals...
while that was a move that was really unthinking on this mans part...why does the moose have to be killed? Why can't it be tranqualized and relocated to some far wilderness place instead? (or both it and its mother)? Moose are tranqualized all the time for study purposes......it wouldnt hurt the State to just relocate both of them at the same time out of their normal range.
Kath
Out on the Chena Hot Springs road the other day, not far from the springs, I saw parents (armed with cameras of course) send their two small children, maybe 6 and 8 years old, to "pet the cute moose" who was standing in a clearing not far away. When I said "Oh, that's not a good idea. Moose are unpredictable and dangerous," the father told me in a tone that said I should mind my own business and obviously didn't know what I was talking about: "They have TAME mooses here and I want my kids to really experience Alaska." I just shook my head, said "It could easily be the last experience those kids have," and left because I didn't want to see what could so quickly happen.
More chlorine in the gene pool, please!
Leave the moose alone please. If some biological creature needs to be relocated, choose the one with the least legs.
JustMe--I read your comment too fast and had this great mental picture of Sinnott darting the moose-petter in the bottom and relocating him, too. :-) I remember a video from Anchorage that an NPS ranger sent around (not knowing what a Snuff Film is, apparently) with a guy just walking out of a building and being kicked to death by a moose that he didn't even see before it attacked (I'm thinking it was from a security camera, and I'm also remembering that it had something to do with UA). What part of "wild animal" are these guys not getting??
endoftheroad--well, OF COURSE, Alaska's just a big, friendly park, and, as we all know, NOTHING bad can happen in a (National) park! :-) (tongue FIRMLY planted in cheek). That's why Chad's Tundra "Alaska: Step Out of the Bus and Into the Food Chain" is one of my all-time favorite t-shirts. :-)
I was at Eldarado gold mine several years ago with some out of state family and saw a t-shirt that said something along the lines of "Feed the bears, let the kids ride the moose, take a dive off the cruise ship, drive over 30 on that scenic highway -- Alaska Paramedics Thank You"
endotheroad--They said that they can't give tickets for stupidity. Too bad. The parents that you encountered should be charged with child endangerment.
There is a picture of the moose and guy on the ADN..... and that is definitely NO yearling moose, News Miner! Good article on ADN... and they reported how the moose was following the rest of the people there looking for more ear scratches from anyone!
Thats always the F&G Dept. solution to most everything, kill it.
Must be something the fumes from all the cheap fuel Anchorage gets.
How many of you saw the TV program Tuesday about the 70 year old retired Anchorage teacher who has a place called Bear Haven. Has feed brown and black bears, takes naps with them, etc.. Fish and Game knows he is illegally feeding them, but hasn't done a thing about it. As far as I'm concerned if the bears eat him, that's his own darn fault. The program gave that stupid impression we should learn to co exist with bears. They failed to mention the poor young girl who just got attacked by bears.
Woodman I believe there was a man on Leno that did that and him and his girlfriend was eaten. Makes you wonder how these people would be if they found themselves in New York City.
BROOKLYN -- Local police were exasperated after an Alaskan man approached a large rat and scratched its ears for 15 minutes. "No good can come of this," Sgt O'Reilly warned. "Rats are unpredictable and dangerous. This one will just have to be killed if it gets too used to people." The Alaskan rat-petter wasn't doing anything illegal however. O'Reilly concluded, "we can't write citations for stupidity, unfortunately."
I dunno... :-) Them thar rats is purty wiley.... :-) Two people in our county have died from Hantavirus so far this summer.... wouldn't put it past 'em.... no good, I tell ya.... no good.....
I think they should not kill it. there's no resasn
Oh darn... it's a young friendly bull.. I MEAN MOOSE... we better put it out of human contact so the bull.. I MEAN MOOSE.... doesn't hurt anyone... dang... the bulls antlers sure are small... tender suculent... I MEAN DARN... MOOSE... has to.. be... humanly.. uthenized.. yyeeeeaaahhh..... so hery Jo Bob... so I get the antlers from this humane illegal kill this year or do you??... I MEAN... SALVAGE ALL USABLE PARTS.. yes.. salvage..
whose the animal here? the people who tamed it, or the people that are willing to kill it instead of relocate it HUMANLY? I hunt too, but to kill it because of human error is inhumane... relocate it to Denali National park where there is an uproar for the man who killed a bull that MIGHT have been within the boundry.. REPLACE THE ONE TAKEN.
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