Maine wardens euthanize baby moose rescued from snow by good Samaritans
Officials say the animal that was found stuck in several feet of snow was ailing.
A baby moose that was rescued from waist-deep snow on Monday by a group of passersby in northern Maine had to be euthanized by the state’s warden service, the Portland Press Herald reports. Cpl. John MacDonald of the Maine Warden Service told the newspaper the moose, found stuck in about 40 inches of snow near a road in Crouseville, showed signs of lungworm. MacDonald said game wardens arrived at the scene just after the nine good Samaritans had shoveled the unmoving calf free of the snow and placed it on a sled.“The moose was not kicking or thrashing around, so there were some indications the moose was probably not well,” he said. Barbetta Ann Bowker shared photos of the rescue effort on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/barbetta.turner/posts/10215543310242886
Lauren Allen, whose husband helped in the effort, told WCSH it wasn’t the first time the baby moose needed help after getting stuck in the snow.
“I know a bunch of folks helped it last week too!” she told the station.
MacDonald told the Press Herald the moose, which was likely born last spring, was taken to a secluded spot after it was rescued and the warden service was then notified by nearby homeowners after the calf didn’t move all day.
“It was pretty apparent the moose was very labored in breathing,” he said.
The decision was made to put the animal down, and MacDonald advised that people should contact the warden service if they encounter struggling wildlife, the Press Herald reports.
