spectr17
02-28-2003, 06:08 PM
February 27, 2003 - 3:05:35 AM AKST
Ornery ungulates pose threat
UAF issues moose alert on campus
By TIM MOWRY, Fairbanks News-Miner Staff Writer
It happens every year around this time. After being chased by dogs, dodging traffic and eating frozen wood all winter, resident moose in Fairbanks start getting a little testy.
"They're getting ornery," reported Tony Hollis, a technician at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks who handles moose calls for the agency. "They're low on (fat) reserves and the food they're eating is not very good."
Fish and Game receives calls almost daily about moose--many of them showing signs of aggression--in neighborhoods or near schools, Hollis said. In the past few days, Hollis has taken calls about hostile moose near two elementary schools--Woodriver and Pearl Creek--and the Carlson Center. Subdivisions such as Hamilton Acres, Shannon Park and Island Homes are also frequented by moose.
"We've had kids and adults chased," Hollis said.
While there have been no injuries reported as a result of moose encounters in Fairbanks this winter, the potential always exists, experts caution.
A contrary moose parked near the entrance of the Bunnell Building on Wednesday morning prompted University of Alaska Fairbanks police to issue a "moose alert" on campus, warning students and faculty to keep an eye out for unruly ungulates.
"We get worried because a lot of people are walking in those common areas," police chief Terry Vrabec said. "We want them to pay attention so they don't get charged."
Vrabec's fear is a very real one. A 71-year-old man was stomped to death on campus at the University of Alaska Anchorage in January of 1995 by a cow protecting her calf outside the Sports Center. That moose was shot four days later.
While UAF police rarely have to resort to shooting moose--Vrabec can't remember the last time an aggressive moose was killed on campus--they resort to all kinds of techniques to herd them off school grounds, including pepper spray, sirens and lights and bean bags fired from shotguns.
"We'd much rather move it on than dispatch a moose," he said.
On Wednesday, officers used pepper spray to chase off a cow that showed up around 8 a.m. to munch on a tree at the entrance of the Bunnell Building.
"She was kind of mad," Vrabec said. "She was close to charging some officers."
Moose pose an especially dangerous threat on campus because they often find themselves backed into a corner by all the buildings, he said.
"If they end up in the entrance of a building with nowhere to go, they're going to feel intimidated," Vrabec said. "It's not like you have a tree to hide behind. You're in a real dangerous spot."
Fish and Game's Hollis advises people to stay as far as possible from moose and to remove any attractions that may be bringing moose in, such as hay or salt on a driveway.
Part of the problem, he said, is that people often allow moose to hang around their neighborhoods without worrying about it until they become aggressive. The longer they linger without any negative reinforcement the harder they will be to drive out.
Because they are so common and often seem aloof, people often underestimate how dangerous a moose can be, Vrabec said. The UAF police chief keeps a video tape of the stomping death at UAA in his office and he occasionally shows it to demonstrate how quick and deadly a moose can be.
"If you haven't seen a moose charge and kick, you don't know what they can do," he said. "You only have a couple seconds when they decide to come at you. Until you see it, you can't believe it."
Moose are welcome on campus at UAF as long as they stay away from populated areas.
"We just want them in a good spot so we can see them and not have to shoot them," Vrabec said.
Anyone who sees a moose on campus should call UAF police at 474-7721, Vrabec said. In town, aggressive or threatening moose should be reported to the Department of Fish and Game at 459-7206.
Staff writer Tim Mowry can be reached at tmowry@newsminer.com or 459-7587.
Ornery ungulates pose threat
UAF issues moose alert on campus
By TIM MOWRY, Fairbanks News-Miner Staff Writer
It happens every year around this time. After being chased by dogs, dodging traffic and eating frozen wood all winter, resident moose in Fairbanks start getting a little testy.
"They're getting ornery," reported Tony Hollis, a technician at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Fairbanks who handles moose calls for the agency. "They're low on (fat) reserves and the food they're eating is not very good."
Fish and Game receives calls almost daily about moose--many of them showing signs of aggression--in neighborhoods or near schools, Hollis said. In the past few days, Hollis has taken calls about hostile moose near two elementary schools--Woodriver and Pearl Creek--and the Carlson Center. Subdivisions such as Hamilton Acres, Shannon Park and Island Homes are also frequented by moose.
"We've had kids and adults chased," Hollis said.
While there have been no injuries reported as a result of moose encounters in Fairbanks this winter, the potential always exists, experts caution.
A contrary moose parked near the entrance of the Bunnell Building on Wednesday morning prompted University of Alaska Fairbanks police to issue a "moose alert" on campus, warning students and faculty to keep an eye out for unruly ungulates.
"We get worried because a lot of people are walking in those common areas," police chief Terry Vrabec said. "We want them to pay attention so they don't get charged."
Vrabec's fear is a very real one. A 71-year-old man was stomped to death on campus at the University of Alaska Anchorage in January of 1995 by a cow protecting her calf outside the Sports Center. That moose was shot four days later.
While UAF police rarely have to resort to shooting moose--Vrabec can't remember the last time an aggressive moose was killed on campus--they resort to all kinds of techniques to herd them off school grounds, including pepper spray, sirens and lights and bean bags fired from shotguns.
"We'd much rather move it on than dispatch a moose," he said.
On Wednesday, officers used pepper spray to chase off a cow that showed up around 8 a.m. to munch on a tree at the entrance of the Bunnell Building.
"She was kind of mad," Vrabec said. "She was close to charging some officers."
Moose pose an especially dangerous threat on campus because they often find themselves backed into a corner by all the buildings, he said.
"If they end up in the entrance of a building with nowhere to go, they're going to feel intimidated," Vrabec said. "It's not like you have a tree to hide behind. You're in a real dangerous spot."
Fish and Game's Hollis advises people to stay as far as possible from moose and to remove any attractions that may be bringing moose in, such as hay or salt on a driveway.
Part of the problem, he said, is that people often allow moose to hang around their neighborhoods without worrying about it until they become aggressive. The longer they linger without any negative reinforcement the harder they will be to drive out.
Because they are so common and often seem aloof, people often underestimate how dangerous a moose can be, Vrabec said. The UAF police chief keeps a video tape of the stomping death at UAA in his office and he occasionally shows it to demonstrate how quick and deadly a moose can be.
"If you haven't seen a moose charge and kick, you don't know what they can do," he said. "You only have a couple seconds when they decide to come at you. Until you see it, you can't believe it."
Moose are welcome on campus at UAF as long as they stay away from populated areas.
"We just want them in a good spot so we can see them and not have to shoot them," Vrabec said.
Anyone who sees a moose on campus should call UAF police at 474-7721, Vrabec said. In town, aggressive or threatening moose should be reported to the Department of Fish and Game at 459-7206.
Staff writer Tim Mowry can be reached at tmowry@newsminer.com or 459-7587.