DOW frees moose from wire

By Stephen Clearheart Johnson
North Forty News

Residents of Crystal Lakes subdivision near Red Feather Lakes were recently startled to discover a staggering bull moose struggling with antlers tangled in a coil of wire and some 20 feet of wire trailing behind.

Residents contacted the home-owner's association, which promptly notified area game warden Jim Jackson of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. He in turn contacted other DOW specialists and moved in to take over the watch from the residents until help could arrive in the form of a tranquilizer gun in the hands of a skilled practitioner.

Simple idea, right? Not so simple. As Crystal Lakes resident Jane Tiffen puts it, "Despite their size it seems moose are delicate creatures. The drugs used for deer and elk can kill a moose and once tranquilized they often require oxygen to survive."

When the DOW rescue team arrived, the moose was bedded down, stressed and overheated from the struggle. As the team approached, the moose arose to charge DOW's Shane Craig but stopped just in time to get a dart in the hip. The newly outraged moose then ran some 300 yards to immerse itself in a beaver pond.

As the drug took effect, the moose's head began to slip underwater. The team quickly moved in a small boulder to prop up the head while they removed the wire. Luckily, the cool water prevented the need for administering oxygen. And luckily the wire was not barbed. After a quick dose of antidote, the newly freed moose arose and began feeding on nearby willows. Case solved.

"Wire is a common enemy of wildlife everywhere," Jackson noted. "Old abandoned wire of all sorts gets wrapped up in antlers, around their feet and around their necks."

He added, "People can help prevent such situations by removing old wire lying around their places, and if they have barbed wire fences, make sure the wires are tight and add stays between posts to keep wire from twisting. Any of these efforts will greatly help in minimizing these situations."