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Orphaned Moose Calf Dies

January 24, 2011 - NEW SHARON — An orphaned moose calf who had her own Facebook page died Thursday at a wildlife sanctuary in New Sharon, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.


The female calf, named South Branch Suzie, was born last summer in the Rangeley area. She was named by Saddleback Mountain ski resort residents who would see her on ski trails, often in the South Branch skiing area, and walking through the community. 
Preliminary necropsy results show a high infection rate of lungworm that contributed to the moose’s death, said department spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte.


Lung worm is a parasite that occasionally is found in young moose. Lungworms are a type of parasitic roundworm found in the lungs where they lay eggs that hatch into larvae.


Larvae are picked up by moose while feeding on vegetation in the wild. Moose with lungworm infections can develop pneumonia that can severely compromise the function of their lungs. There is no risk to humans from lungworm. 


At last count on Saturday, South Branch Suzie had 1,146 friends on Facebook. District Game Warden Reggie Hammond had hoped that the orphaned moose would find and assimilate with other moose living around Saddleback Mountain, but that did not happen, according to Turcotte.


On Dec. 29, the moose calf was chemically immobilized by the wildlife biologists and, with the help of Game Warden Reggie Hammond and volunteers, was taken to Second Chance Wildlife, Inc., in New Sharon. The move to the rehabilitation center was the best solution for trying to help the young moose through the winter and prepare her for a return to the wild, officlas said.


Remaining in the wild is almost always what’s best for moose and other wildlife, Turcotte said, but after a few weeks of showing a high level of habituation to people at Saddleback, Suzie was captured and transferred to the New Sharon facility. She was becoming too accustomed to living near people and one night was almost hit by a trail groomer.


On Thursday, the deceased moose was taken from Second Chance Wildlife to inland fisheries and wildlife Bangor Research Office for a necropsy by Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner, University of Maine Cooperative Extension veterinarian.


By Doug Harlow, Kennebec Journal, January 22, 2011


Lakes:
Regions: Rangeley


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