ANCHORAGE (AP) - Alaska Wildlife Troopers do not intend to issue a citation to a man who was seen lifting a baby moose over a guardrail in Southcentral Alaska, though it is illegal to “handle any wild animal in a similar fashion,’’ an Alaska State Troopers spokesperson said June 10.
An Anchorage man, Joe Tate, was driving home June 3 from a fishing trip with friends when saw a line of cars and a moose on the highway about 20 miles south of Soldotna on the Kenai Peninsula.
Tate said a mother moose was pacing in the road, and a young calf struggled to scale a guardrail to join her. He estimated watching for about 30 minutes. He said he considered calling wildlife officials or law enforcement but worried an accident could occur in the time it would take for them to arrive.
Friends with a trailer got between the mother and the calf, breaking the line of sight, Tate said. Another vehicle positioned itself similarly on the opposite side of traffic.
Tate said he then lifted the calf over the guardrail and helped it steady itself on the pavement before letting it return to the adult moose. Tate said the mother did not reject the calf, despite it having contact with him.
“It was calculated,’’ Tate said. “It was something we kind of looked at and talked about before we did it. It worked out for the best. And it could have gone bad, and I understand and know that. But it did go for the best, and it was worth the risk that I took.”
Tate said traffic had backed up for about a mile in either direction by the time he decided to do something. “As we got closer, we started to see traffic whether they were out-of-staters or locals going around,” he said, “They were going around it a little bit faster speed than you want.”
Spokesperson Austin McDaniel said Alaska Wildlife Troopers “strongly advise people to stay a safe distance from all wildlife, including moose calves, as the animal may react aggressively toward humans.’’
Dave Battle, a biologist with the Department of Fish and Game, said people should do all they can to avoid handling wildlife like this.
Anyone who sees a wild animal that may need help should call the nearest law enforcement agency or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, McDaniel said in an email.
Tate told Anchorage TV station KTUU he is an avid outdoorsman and a registered hunting guide. “Nowhere near expertise,” he said. “But I had some knowledge of what to do and what not to do, and handled it the best it could be done.”
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