A moose dies in your yard — now what?

BIG LAKE — As spring brings warmer temperatures and overall meltdown of a record-threatening winter snowfall, many of our wild neighbors are still struggling.

Big Lake area resident Lucille Magee and her family learned this the hard way recently when a young bull moose died on her property. What upsets Magee, 73, is that she, her son and grandchildren were legally obligated to watch helplessly while the moose starved to death.

The ordeal began in February, when the young bull and adult cow became regular visitors to Magee’s property, she said.

“First, there was a cow and a calf hanging around here all the time, which was fine,” she said. “Then there was just the calf, a bull calf. I don’t know what happened to the cow. It looked like it was losing weight, so we call the (Alaska State) Troopers and a trooper came out. He looked at it and said he’d call (the Alaska Department of) Fish and Game. I never heard from them.”

Eventually, she stopped seeing the young bull around her house, but on March 5, about a month later, her granddaughter discovered the carcass.

“We didn’t see him for a little bit, so I thought he went to some different tree,” she said. “My granddaughter looked out and said, ‘Grandma, that moose is dead out there.’”

It had died close to the house, about 20 feet away, Magee said, adding that’s when she really became angry.

That’s because although she contacted troopers and state officials, she said she was specifically instructed not to feed or interfere with the animal. After it had died, however, she was then told dealing with the large carcass was her responsibility.

“Legally, I couldn’t touch it when it was alive,” she said. “I had to watch it starve. You don’t even do that to homeless people. Animals shouldn’t have to suffer. … Then I was told ‘once it dies, it’s yours.’ Well, I couldn’t feed it, and legally I couldn’t shoot it.”

While it may sound callous and he understands Magee’s frustration, Sgt. Doug Massie of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers office said she acted appropriately.

“This year in particular, I think everybody knows it’s been a bad year for the animals,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve had a year with so many winter kills since 1989. If someone calls us concerned an animal’s starving, it boils down to this is Alaska, this is nature doing its thing. It’s part of living in the state we live in. We’re going to have critters running in and out of our yards and dying in our yards.”

In fact, Massie said he’s dealing with the same situation on his property, where a moose is lingering.

“I’m watching one in my own yard doing the same thing,” he said, adding that as much as you’re tempted to help out a struggling animal, you shouldn’t. “You’ve got to let nature run its course. This stuff happens for a reason. Whatever the case may be, we can’t take it upon ourselves to change what’s supposed to happen.”

Now what?

But the ordeal of watching as the young moose starved and discovering its body was only half of the story for Magee. Although not fully grown, it’s still a large animal. As a senior, she lives on a fixed income and can’t afford an expensive removal.

First, her son contacted the Big Lake transfer station for the Mat-Su Borough Landfill about disposing of the carcass there. He was told that if he brought the animal there, he’d be detained while troopers were called and could be cited. They were also informed that disposal there could be expensive, as much as $300.

“What are you supposed to do?” Magee said. “They tie your hands. … They had control of it when it was living, but once it died it was my problem.”

Although Magee was initially told troopers would be called and there was a prohibitive fee to dispose of the animal at the borough landfill, that’s not the case, said Cathy Mayer, the borough’s solid waste manager.

Mayer is responsible for the borough’s central landfill and its eight transfer stations. She said she’s not aware that troopers are being called when property owners bring animals in for disposal, and that it shouldn’t happen.

“That’s something I’ve never dealt with,” she said. “I’m not sure where that come from.”

She also said the fee is set at $60 a ton.

“Generally, you just bring it in and get weighed,” she said. “With a larger carcass like that, it needs to go into the solid waste disposal unit. It gets buried right away when it comes in so it’s not sitting around getting scavenged on.”

Mayer said the confusion might have arisen because Magee contacted a transfer site instead of the central landfill. While animals can be taken to any of the transfer sites, it’s recommended to bring them directly to central, she said.

What to do

For property owners who may find themselves in Magee’s situation, Massie has a few suggestions:

• Call Alaska Wildlife Troopers (373-8305 or 761-7136). If they think it necessary, a trooper will come out to assess the situation. Generally, troopers will advise the animals be left alone; however, AST will act if there’s a public safety issue.

• Do not feed, harm or harass the animal; it’s illegal.

• If an animal dies, property owners are allowed to move it or dispose of it. You can do that at the central landfill. Massie also says it’s OK to drag the carcass to a more remote wooded area where it won’t impact anyone else.

• Troopers often also refer property owners to a professional service like Nuisance Wildlife Management in Wasilla, 373-9953.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.