Posted on 04/18/2003 8:21:56 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie
Fargo police kill moose
By Cole Short
The Forum - 04/18/2003
In a move that some questioned, Fargo police officers shot and killed two moose Thursday that wandered into south Fargo.
Officers shot the moose, a cow and her calf, after deciding the pair posed a threat to public safety, said Fargo Police Sgt. Wayne Jorgenson.
“We weighed all the factors before making the decision to shoot them,” Jorgenson said. “The moose were in an agitated state and a lot of people could have been in danger.”
Police received moose sightings in the south part of the city late Wednesday.
Jorgenson said officials at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department were called to keep tabs on the animals.
Around 11 a.m. Thursday, the moose had wandered near Fargo South High School at 1840 15th Ave. S.
Game and Fish supervisor Dick Knapp said game wardens tried to herd the moose away from traffic and out of the city without success.
Knapp’s staff do not carry tranquilizers and trying to sedate the animals could have been dangerous, he said.
“Tranquilizers won’t take a moose down immediately,” Knapp said from his office in Jamestown. “It would have just agitated them and caused them to panic.”
A large crowd of onlookers, including Fargo South Bruins on lunch break, began to follow the moose through residential neighborhoods.
The animals jumped across backyard fences and came dangerously close to being struck by traffic, police said.
Early Thursday afternoon, police and wildlife officials agreed to shoot the moose.
“It was a mutual decision,” Jorgenson said. “Terminating these animals was the last thing we wanted to do, but we felt there was a real threat to people’s safety.”
Not everyone agreed with the decision.
Grant Holmen, who lives a block away from where the moose were shot, heard police open fire on the animals.
“I’m not against hunting, but I wish they could have given a tranquilizer to them and let them loose in the country,” Holmen said.
Jason Anderson, who lives near where the moose were shot, said police and wildlife agents overreacted.
The 20-year-old and friend Jason Dodd, 19, were inside Anderson’s home when a friend called to say moose were loose in his neighborhood. They ventured outside with a digital camera hoping to glimpse the rare city sight.
Instead, they heard gunshots. Arriving at the scene of the shooting near 14th Street and 15th Avenue South, Anderson and Dodd peeked over the 8-foot-high privacy fence and began taking photos of the dead cow.
“They didn’t need to shoot them,” Anderson said. “They were in an enclosed back yard --- at least the big one was. It would have been pretty easy to capture them.”
Anderson said officers openly talked afterward about why they couldn’t use tazers or tranquilizers to subdue the animals.
A small crowd gathered as the dead cow was dragged down the home’s driveway using a rope tied to a truck, Anderson said.
Soon a payloader arrived carrying the calf in its bucket. A half dozen men then hoisted the cow beside its calf.
Knapp said the moose would be taken to a meat locker, processed and given to a local charity.
Jorgenson couldn’t remember if Fargo police had ever shot a moose in the city. But officers did shoot a large steer a few years ago, he said.
Game and Fish biologist Doug Leier speculated the animals entered the city from the north or south while traveling along the Red River.
“Moose can cover quite a bit of ground at night,” he said. “When the sun came up, they probably said ‘Uh-huh, I don’t like being here’ and became scared and disoriented.”
Fargo South Principal Dick Warner said the animals did not appear to cause any damage to his school or students.
“We tried to get our students away from the moose,” Warner said, adding it wasn’t the first time a wild animal had visited the Bruins.
“A deer jumped through one of our double-plated glass windows about six years ago,” he said. “We’ve had our share of critters here. But this is the first time in 28 years I’ve heard of a moose running around our school.”
Forum City Editor Matthew Von Pinnon contributed to this article.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Cole Short at (701) 241-5557
Easy for him to say.
Easy for him to say.
That was my first thought. A zoologist friend tells a story about a bull moose fighting its way through a wall to get to a cow in heat on the other side. His description of the amount of damage is amazing.
talk about 'cher poor taste
Now, try to capture a corner cow moose defending its calf. You'd get Corrie'd for your troubles...
These were TALKING moose??
Actually another friend was hiking the Tetons shortly after a story of A Moose Stompin'. A cow was doing just that -- defending her calf from a hiker that got too close. Predictably, while hiking he walked into a clearing not knowing there was a cow and her calf a short distance away. He's usually a pretty laid back guy but that really spooked him.
"Of course they were!"
"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....
If you want on or off this list, please let me know!
You got that right. My favorite moose story is about the guy who'd just finished an extension to his house. A bull moose apparently took exception to the addition, and crashed in through the front wall, destroyed the interior, and crashed out through the back wall.
Agitated mooses are fun to joke about, but they're extremely dangerous.
Yeah, I was thinking what the hell is he doing in Fargo? Woodchipping?
They've got it all wrong!
Møøsen must be spåånkæned, first!
I guess he didn't know his own strength.
I am from Grand Forks.
"I'm not sure I agree with you a hunnert percent on your policework, there, Lou."
The Moose Song (to the tune of "Sweet Betsy From Pike")
When I was a young lad I used to like girls,
I played with their bodies and fondled their curls.
Till my girl ran off with a Captain named Bruce.
Oh you'll never get treated like that by a moose!
Chorus
Then its moose, moose, I want a moose.
I have never had anything quite like a moose.
I've had many women, me life has been loose,
But I've never had anything quite like a moose.
I've done it with all sorts of beasties with hair;
I'd do it with snakes if their fangs were not there,
I've done it with llamas, sheep, dogs and a goose,
But I've never had anything quite like a moose!
(Chorus)
The king of the gods is a fellow named Zeus,
On top of Olympus with an urge to seduce.
They offered him virgins but he'd just refuse,
"S**** all of your virgins and bring me a moose!"
(Chorus)
And now I am old and advanced in me years.
As I look o'er my life, I will shed me no tears.
So I sit in my chair with a glass of prune juice,
Playing hide the salami with Marvin the Moose!
(Chorus)
The Royal Kings Rangers are strange it is said,
They all grab a lamb when they crawl into bed,
They moan and they bleat and they roll on the ground,
We don't settle for lambchops when moose are around.
(Chorus)
Oh give me a moose in a long flowered skirt
A touch of mascara or blush couldn't hurt
With lipstick or perfume you'd think she's a queen
And with moose it's still legal if they're under eighteen.
(Chorus)
I went to the desert a moose for to find
I left there frustrated near out of my mind
For camels remind me of moose just a bit
But moose always swallow while camels just spit.
(Chorus)
Well I've broken the law in this godawful state
And they've put me in prison and locked up the gate
they say that tomorrow I'll swing from a noose
but my last night I'll spend with a good sexy moose
(Chorus)
Hillary you know, is the ex-prez's wife
She tries very hard to get on with her life.
Upstairs she heard someone just cutting it loose
She ran to find Billy being banged by a moose.
(ad nauseum)
There's many more lyrics - usually heard after copious quantities of various fermented beverages have been consumed.
Moose cheese, however...
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