Neighborhood moose killed by kindness

[Dand]

Neighborhood moose killed by kindness
Thursday, March 3, 2005 - by Jeffrey Hope  KTUU TV Anchorage.

Anchorage, Alaska - A state biologist says the people who feed wild animals in their backyards are responsible for the death of a moose earlier this week. Monday, police shot and killed a moose after a 6-year-old Anchorage boy was stomped on the head.
Rick Sinnott says he's seen too many people feeding animals and not thinking about what could happen. At the same time, a wildlife conservation group says it’s an example of how things need to change.

http://www.ktuu.com/

But I haven't read how the kid has fared.  I find it a little strange that the moose seem to be more important to the reporter than the kid.  Its cool to have moose in the big city but I think there are too many.  I've read where many are in poor health, often injured by cars.  Seems like a reduction in numbers is warranted.

[Gun Runner]

Dand, maybe Alaska should start billing PETA, the save the Animal group, Tree huggers, and any other group along those lines, for damages to cars, people, and the expense for animal control to have to come out and clean up the animals off the road side. They might just go along with a special hunt or an increase tags. You and I both know thats not gonna happen but it dont cost me nothing to hope or type.  

Gun Runner

[Don Fischer]

When I lived in Alaska, I'ed visit friend's in Anchorage on occassion and those people treated them like barnyard animals. Just geting them to start treating them like wild animal's will go a long way. Anchorage always has had that problem with moose and at time's bear's. They treat them like that then set out the garbage for bear's, go figure! My friend's would bar-b-que on the back porch then leave the grill out by the door until the next time they needed it.

[Daveinthebush]

It sounds like Anchorage needs an archery season for moose.  I will be the first to apply.

Sorry to hear about the kid but when people start treating wild animals as anything less than wild animals then they have problems.

[S.B.]

After what I've read on this forum about moose, maybe some of the locals need to start reading here?

[Sourdough]

Archery, is a dirty word in Anchorage!  Back before the state required certification, (actually this is what got the state off their duffs and to start a certification program) there was an archery hunt in the hillside area of Anchorage.  I think it was back in the mid to late 80s.  Lots of people went to the pawn shops, or borrowed all the bows they could get their hands on.  A mob of archers converged on the hillside and shot anything brown that moved.  Few moose were actually killed right off and tagged.  Most continued to walk around for weeks looking like pin cushions.  Many died later in backyards, and roadsides.  People got real upset when they saw all these moose with arrows sticking out of their sides, legs, necks, and hindquarters.  Many folks remember that fiasco and do not want it repeated.  It will be a long time before they forget, or allow an archery hunt in their backyard.  Yes moose are a serious problem in Anchorage, but they feel archers are worse.  The state really has a problem there.  Moose are a problem, so are the bears.  As long as they don't allow hunting there or in the surrounding hills it's not going away.