Alces Alces In The News!

Moose for Drugs?

Authorities in Vermont and New Hampshire believe that illegal moose killings there are drug-related. According to the White River Valley Herald of Randolph, Vermont, the Vermont Fish and Game Commissioner has claimed that poachers are trading moose meat for narcotics. [What's 5 grams of coke worth in moose meat, I wonder?]

 

What 'cha got in the Moose Head, there Willis?

[And in a *totally* unrelated story...] "Willis M. Crossman, thirty-five, of Granville, New York, was convicted in Rutland, Vermont, of transporting a moose head across state lines." (Glen Falls Post Star)

 

Stop Barking, Fido!

"Susan Butcher lost the lead in a marathon dogsled race along the Gold Rush route from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, when one of her dogs was "stomped to death by a moose"." (New York Daily News)

 

Moose and politics:

AP reports Speaker Gingrich's moose-watching vacation is being complicated by rumors of a presidential bid. Curiously, President Clinton will be in New Hampshire at the same time. It was not indicated if the President also is seeking moose.

 

Moose ignore Gingrich:

AP reports that during a recent visit to the Columbus zoo, the speaker and his entourage drew the attention of big cats but were largely ignored by a pair of moose.

 

Speaker Gingrich seeks moose:

AP reports the thing House Speaker Gingrich most wants to see while vacationing in New Hampshire is a moose. His host, U.S. Representative Bill Zeliff, owns an inn popular with Republican campaigners. According to Zeliff, "He has this thing about seeing a moose and, by God, I have guaranteed that this time he'll see a moose."

 

Clintons encounter moose:

AP reports that President and Mrs. Clinton encountered two large moose while hiking in Grand Teton National Park. The moose grazed peacefully by the trail maneuvering their antlers through the trees while the presidential party headed from Cascade Canyon towards Jenny Lake. Earlier in the vacation, Clinton mentioned seeing moose in his weekly radio address to the nation.

 

Moose in Federal Laws:

For references to moose in the United States Code see: 16 USC 410HH, 16 USC 410HH-1, and 43 USC 1611.

 

Moose population statistics:

Moose are estimated to outnumber the 32,000 residents of Canada's Yukon Territory about two to one.

 

Moose thrive in Lithuania:

Rueters reports that a sizable population of moose can be found on the Neringa Peninsula, a 30 mile stretch of Lithuanian coastal wilderness. Under Soviet rule, it was a restricted military zone. Although parts of many former Soviet bases are badly polluted, they often had large forests, bogs, and wetlands that remained untouched for decades.

 

Moose in the military:

Around 1700, the Swedish cavalry experimented with moose as "combat vehicles." The animals have better stamina and terrain mobility than horses and were expected to terrify enemy forces who probably had never seen a moose. They were very good animals to ride and could be trained just as well as horses in all respects but for one: the moose is a smart animal and the trainers could never get them to quit running away from artillery, muskets, pikes, and other weaponry. (from nyberg@lively.phys.lsu.edu)

 

Retrovirus killing Swedish moose:

A wasting disease has killed more than one thousand moose in Sweden. A retrovirus has repeatedly been isolated from diseased animals. The virus appears to be a member of the Oncovirinae subfamily. See Virology 202:956-61, 1994.

 

ELF radiation and moose:

Reuters reports elk are now roaming wild in Wisconsin for the first time since 1866. The herd was moved from Chequamegon National Forest in Michigan to a site near Clam Lake, Wisconsin. Clam Lake is the site of the extreme low frequency radio transmitter used by the military to send messages to submerged nuclear submarines.

 

Moose takes helicopter ride:

AP reports that a yearling moose was chased by dogs onto the ice in Conception Bay, Newfoundland. Wildlife officials rescued the moose from a small ice floe by a helicopter lift. The moose was tranquillized before the trip and described as "a little bruised and woozy" when it was released.

 

Tracking moose by radio:

AP reports that Michigan state wildlife biologists use collars containing radio transmitters to track the rapidly growing herd in the Upper Peninsula. To attach the collars, the moose are tranquilized with carfentanil which is then reversed with naltrexone. The moose are left in a state described as "kind of like a bad hangover." There are estimated to be 300-500 moose in the region.

 

Moose stress factors:

Reuters reports an urban influx of moose in Alaska. Moose suffer additional stresses in urban areas from car horns, barking dogs, and kids throwing snowballs at them. A spokesman for the Department of Fish and Game advises drivers, "You do need to give moose a wide berth."

 

Moose sequences in Genbank:

On 1 Jan 1995, the first moose sequence from a nuclear gene appeared in Genbank. Exon 2 from the MHC class II Dr-beta gene was sequenced from 9 European and North American moose.

In Genbank release 82, the only DNA sequence from Alces alces americana was the 3' end of the cytochrome b gene. The entry, AALMTCYTOB, was the first in the mammal section (gbmam.seq).

Moose and the stock market:

Reuters reports that elk (European moose) hunting season could be having a negative impact on the Swedish stock market. According to one broker, "Everybody is gone. Maybe they are hunting elk or something, but they certainly aren't in this market."

 

Moose on the loose:

AP reports an 800 pound male moose dove 20 feet into a lake in a Maine rock quarry. A state wildlife biologist said, "If you've ever seen a moose jump off the diving board, it makes quite a splash." The moose was lifted by crane from the water. It was released in a marshy area and was last seen trotting off into the woods.

Reuters reports moose are thriving in New England in record numbers. A wildlife biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said they are "streaming over the land." For the first time, moose are establishing resident populations in Connecticut.

UPI reports a growing number of moose sightings in Iowa, most recently near North Liberty in Johnson County. Even though their natural habitat is well north of Iowa, moose are protected by state law.

Reuters reports a moose on the loose in a Montreal suburb. The Laval, Quebec police believe the moose to be a 400kg female in search of a mate. Moose are sighted in the area once or twice a year.

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