Mon, Oct 06, 2008
The Best-Laid Plans Of Moose And Men Often Go Awry
Conservation officers were thwarted in their attempt to airlift
a moose from a residential area last Thursday when the cargo net
carrying the animal came loose from their helicopter, dropping the
tranquilized moose from a height of about 15 feet.
Officers of Canada's Department of Natural Resources said they
were relocating a mainland moose that wandered into a residential
area near Pictou, Nova Scotia, according to The Ottawa Citizen.
The October 2 airlift transporting the moose was initiated to
protect residents of the area, and also to move the animal to an
area more suitable for its habitation.
The moose had been tranquilized by the officers before being
loaded into a cargo net for the short flight to its new home. While
enroute to nearby Shubenacadie, the cargo net came loose, allowing
the animal to freefall - from a height of about 15 feet.
The moose died shortly after the fall. The DNR, having not yet
establishing the exact cause of death, speculated that the animal
may have been ill, or possibly perished from a number of causes,
including stress, the tranquilizer and the fall.
In an official statement, Natural Resources Minister David Morse
said, "An equipment malfunction may have been a factor in the
moose's death and, if so, we want to ensure that it won't happen
again." An investigation examining the failed airlift and the
animal's subsequent death is underway.
The mainland moose is considered an endangered species, as its
numbers are threatened due to disease and parasites.
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