In mid-February, the Bethel Police Department alerted residents that multiple foxes killed in the city limits had tested positive for rabies. The press release went on to say that officers had also killed a moose that had been acting erratically and attacking chained-up dogs.
The release didn’t directly suggest that the moose may have had rabies. There has only been one case ever recorded in Alaska. But out of an abundance of caution, the moose’s brain was sent to the state virology lab in Fairbanks. It tested negative.
Less than a month later, officers killed another moose in Bethel that they said had also been attacking dogs. This time, wildlife managers didn’t see any signs that warranted a rabies test. Patrick Jones, an area biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, said the moose was up against a lot.
"It was obviously nutritionally stressed with the deep snow. It was using our roads and our pathways for easy access to browse in people's yards. And then, yeah, when approached by dogs, of course it's going to be defensive," Jones said.
It’s rare for wildlife managers or law enforcement to have to kill moose that wander into Bethel.
"We have not had to dispatch them in Bethel before. Most of the moose-dog interactions are one-off, meaning that the moose and the dog came into contact with each other for whatever reason, whether the dog was loose or the moose was walking by and stepped into somebody's yard," Jones said.
Jones said that both of the moose killed by Bethel police were nine-month-old calves. He said that all of the meat was properly salvaged and that he doesn’t see any reason to fault officers for their handling of the situation.
"They responded to a call, and then they decided force was necessary for public safety. The bottom line, people are always more important than a moose, and if people are being threatened, then we call it DLP, defense of life and property. That's always an option," Jones said.
Less than a week later, a third moose was killed in Bethel. This time, Alaska Wildlife Troopers shot an adult cow hobbled by a leg injury on the ice road at the edge of town.
"When she stood up, she wasn't able to put the weight on her hind leg. She just wasn't able to move around well enough, especially in the deep snow," Jones said. "Being injured and next to the ice road, she became a public safety problem with cars."
Easy walking
A major factor in the public safety incidents involving moose is that there are simply a lot more of them on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta these days. Jones said that a five-year moratorium on moose hunting put in place in 2004 has helped the population along the lower Kuskokwim River grow from less than a hundred to around 5,000 animals.
This year, Jones said that more of the moose are being pushed not only into Bethel, but into nearly all of the region’s villages.
"There are quite a lot of moose in almost every single community up and down both the Yukon and the Kuskokwim [rivers] right now," Jones said. "The thing that's really different about this year is just the length of time we've had this deep snow pushing them in."
Jones said that moose must balance calories they expend trudging through deep snow with the constant need to graze on willows.
"It's especially a lot of work for the calves [that] are so much shorter. And I've seen it when the calves start dragging their belly through the snow. That's really a warning sign that they're expending more calories than they can consume in a day," Jones said.
Deep snow also makes it more difficult for moose to defend themselves.
"Anything that would make their life easier, they're taking. So as soon as they hit a road, snowmachine trail, an ice road, anything with easy walking, they immediately start using that," Jones said.
Places like Bethel provide the best of both worlds: easy walking and great food.
"Moose want new growth willows. Anything that's bigger than a number two pencil really doesn't have any nutrition in them," Jones said. "New willows grow in sites that have been recently disturbed ... it's our town, it's our roads, it's our trails."
Jones said that with some simple measures, people and moose can stay good neighbors.
"The only options we have, other than patience and just waiting for spring, is to remove the attractant. So we can cut down our willows, or we can build fences around our dog yards," Jones said.
Jones also said that it helps to remember, when dealing with moose on roads and trails, that the animals are unlikely to retreat into deep snow if they feel threatened. Following behind a moose only elevates the situation. Jones said that the best practice is to be patient: step to the side and give moose time to move off at their own pace.
