Moose Killed at FAR

[snowvalley]

I’m told that the moose at FAR was killed by the Wildlife authorities because of complaints.

Does anybody know the facts?

[rudy-admin]

Should we expect moose burgers at the day lodge cafeteria?

[admin]

The valley has loads of moose, five or six in the immediate area. How many will they kill because of their negligence?

Proper management of the snow-cat trails could have kept the moose out of the skiers traverse from Fish Bowl. The moose was attempting to avoid skiers however had nowhere to go other than deep unpacked snow. The moose trails and salt licks were executed only after the moose has engaged skiers several times.

Why they would kill an innocent moose three weeks before closing is beyond my understanding. They should be shamed by their actions.

Hopefully they will be more proactive next season and avoid the unnecessary killing of innocent moose.

[moke]

nothing new, happened before right at the base near the timber chair, about 5 years back, im pretty sure that moose had some broken legs from the deep snow pack.

[rudy-admin]

The moose attacked skiers on several occasions this winter.

I was charged at Haul Back and it was not pleasant.

It is unfortunate outcome however this is what happens to wild animals that interface with humans.

[bighorn16]

What about all the HUMANS that interfear with the animals. I have lived here for 30 plus years and am not against any outdoor rec, but you can not go anywhere in the area now without running into hiking, biking, or any other such trail,these animals where here long before them.Its sad to see an animal put down that was trying to live in its natural habitat,i understand that interactions with people are wrong, but lets look at it from the animals eyes.

[admin]

The resort should take action to ensure the moose are not living on the cat trails, action that does not involve killing our moose!

[megadude]

snow valley wrote :
> The resort should take action to ensure the moose are not living on the cat
> trails, action that does not involve killing our moose!

And how would they do that exactly? A moose or any other animal will always use a broken trail or groomed path to get around. They always learn the route of least resistance.

[admin]

Here is how to avoid creating the perceived necessity to kill a moose:

?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Groom a network of specific trails for the moose in Fernie Mountain Park, Gorby road, lower Fish Bowl, and leave hay and or salt lick.

?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Check Red Tree road for moose prior to opening Shake ridge and if on trail chase out with a snowmobile, blank gun, or simply close the trail

[megadude]

I’m also against the killing of that animal, but I can’t see how you would control where the moose went, they are territorial, we ran into that moose several times last biking season, and it will stay in the area it has chosen, and find the easiest way to get around (trails). It is us infringing on its territory, and killing it is unfair and unnecessary. I can’t believe they actually got fish and Wildlife to go along with that.

[rudy-admin]

Here is a link with photos and video of the moose at FAR.

https://fernie.com/blog/localsreport/201 … -is-loose/

The moose had settled in at the base of Fish when Snake was closed for a couple of weeks. He was comfortable and didn’t want to move to let skiers out of Fish. When I called FAR dispatch and asked for assistance she said they had no extra staff and we were on our own. Unfortunately we pushed the moose over into Cedar Bowl and the Haul Back.

The resort did groom trails and put out salt licks for the moose that evening. Obviously these tactics did not work.

[canadiankid]

Glad no one got hurt, video was funny. Thanks for the update

[mikes]

You CAN’T heard a Moose.
You CAN heard people.

[teleboy]

Rudy-Admin says the moose "attacked", which is a very poor description of a large ungulate trying to avoid human contact or defend itself to a perceived threat. Moose do charge, and can definitely inflict serious injury or worse, but they don’t "attack." I was at the haul back line-up on one of the occasions when the said moose came running (you would even say "charging") through, and it did not "attack" or target any person. It was certainly quite stressed, but it was just trying to get away from all of us.

That said, there is a hunting season for moose in the Fernie area, both rifle and bow, and while of course the seasons are in the fall it is true that there is a stable moose population (actually it is increasing over the last several years) in the area, so from a wildlife management/preservation point-of-view the killing of one moose is not apocalyptic. It seems a shame that a moose was killed due to a perceived risk to skiers (we run into moose every 2nd or 3rd time out snowshoeing or touring, or often mountain biking), but hopefully at least the meat was used for a good cause and it wasn’t a total waste.

[twodogtom]

I would have liked to see the resort close the area if it was the safety of the guests that was the reason that the moose was killed. The real problem that I have with this is that the meat from the dead animal was not used. As a hunter I know that it is unethical to kill a game animal and not harvest the meat. I was under the impression that when game animals were killed the meat is donated to people that are in need. I am sure that if it was made known that the animal was going to be destroyed it would have been easy to find a crew to help butcher and get the meat out. After all they drove out to kill it in a snow cat. Perhaps the hill should encourage hunting to ensure that the wildlife is no longer an issue. Imagine what a great place the ski hill would be if there was no wildlife to scare their guests.

[zippy]

the moose was bleed, gutted and taken to a butcher to finish up. the packaged meat was donated to the food bank.

this thread is a little lacking in facts. they spent over a week trying to get the moose off the cat track.

in all the years FAR operated, this is the first instance of a moose being shot. usually with the combined efforts of FAR and conservation officer, they succeed in leading them away.

on the other hand, there are problem bears that have to be relocated or shot on a regular basis due to the housing and activities on the hill.

this moose is a blip in the big picture. it may be another 30+ years before it happens again.

[admin]

Which food bank Zippy? Provide some facts.

"spent over a week trying to get the moose off the cat track" After they created the problem they made an effort. Too little, too late.

"The moose is a blip" Be humane Zippy. The moose is not a blip and did not have to die. Period.

"30+ years before it happens again" That depends on snow depth and resort management being proactive. Those are unknown variables. The moose are there every year.

It may happen again next year and there will be two less moose in Cedar Valley.

[shu]

Of course it is sad and emotional event any time a life is lost, we would not consider ourselves human otherwise, but this is borderline crazy. Everyday birds, bugs, dogs, heck … humans are lost due to tragic preventable circumstances. Consider what the thread is about … a moose was called. I truly ponder if whether or not the same emotions would be solicited by the death of a living organism because of the moose in question … a bacterium, a brain worm … a human. My point, extremes don’t help in preventing ethical positions.

[zippy]

so one moose in 30+ years is killed at FAR. yes it is a shame that our human activities and the perceived threat from the moose caused it to be killed.

to put it in a broader perspective, ungulates are killed every week on the highway between fernie, sparwood and elkford. i don’t see any of the posters on this thread advocating a 40km an hour speed limit to "save" those animals. if it was only one a week (some weeks i know it is more) over 30 years that’s more than 1500 animals killed. in that context of death to ungulates, the moose is a blip. less than one tenth of one percent. statistically insignificant.

to the moose, the death is not insignificant. it is final, and a shame.

two things to snowvalley. feeding hay to moose, elk and deer at this time of year causes them to founder (gas bloat) and die. painflully. their systems are not able to digest the hay. that’s a "fact" for you that you ought to know.

and if you want to know the food bank ("provide some facts"), with a handle like snow valley, you should know who to talk to so you can wander in as an impoverished, starving ski bum and scam some free moose meat. i’ll not be the one to help you pull that scam.

[switzco]

Moose are like Rats in the Elk Valley… also like Deer… also like Elk… but so are Tourists and Locals who think that if they pay some cash for something they all of a sudden have a right to managed spaces… i own a house and believe i have a right to that which i own… BUT – if a moose or a deer or an elk is eating my bushes i will be an outcast if i shoot it… in Elkford if a moose or a deer or an elk is weird or menacing they don’t shoot it – they close the access to where a problem may occur – we live in a world where sometimes S.O.L rules and if something is closed because of some wild resident passing through then that is what we live with… don’t KILL a moose because it is standing in front of a chairlift – they have a walnut for a brain – they don’t understand your economics… close it and it will eventually go away… yeesh – shit out of luck stories when you get home are sometimes the best ones…

[mikes]

1.One of the greatest risks to wildlife is habitat loss and degradation. People that are criticizing RCR over the moose, but develope, trade, and sell real-estate are hypocrites. When you develop a new subdivision or build a new house (habitat) for one animal (us) you take habitat (forest) from other animals (moose) you are contributing to the greatest cause of animal destruction.
2.Guranteed 100% that the moose went straight to back country meats for butchering before being divided up into the food banks. The entire moose was used, not pushed over the bank like some would suggest.
3.RCR DOES NOT make any decisions, when it comes to wildlife. The conservation officer does a case study, weighs his options and decides what’s best for the animal. NOT what’s best for RCR’s guests, or whats best to get Ceadar Bowl open. If the animal acts "out of the ordinary" aggressive then the C.O. makes a decision. The C.O. has no interest in RCR. His only interest in the animals welfare and the publics safety. The moose was in complete destress most of the time.

[shu]

It understand many state that the moose was butchered and given to local food banks. Of this fact, I plead complete ignorance. I am asking if those that state this how they know it to be true. Do the butchers voluntary their time or does someone pay for the service, and if so, who? Are the food banks able to accept wild game that may not be legally sold? Just very curious, love to hear some more detail is all.

[mikes]

Happens all of the time. If a non-legal animal is accidentally shot during hunting season, and the hunter reports himself, the C.O. harvests the meat and brings the meat to the butcher. Not sure who pays. I would think that the butcher does not do the butchering for free, but not 100% sure about that. The food bank does accept the meat. One of the things that people are over looking, is the state the moose was in. Total panic. Usually the moose stay out in Fish Bowl for the winter, and head back into Cedar and Lizard Bowl for the summer. A large avalanche, and deep snow pack had pushed the moose out of Fish Bowl.

Here’s an article of a C.O. shot moose brought to food bank in Prince George http://www.bclocalnews.com/bc_north/pgf … 12739.html

Here’s the form allowing food banks to possess wild meat for Sustenance
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/pasb/applicati … dlife.html

[henry]

i have also been trying to find out where all the moose meat has gone. have been asking at the salvation army food bank but they have not received the meat yet

[rudy-admin]

The moose was taken to Backcountry meats where the meat was packaged and sent to food banks in Elkford and Sparwood.

Island Lake Lodge had moose issues again this year. They proactively developed moose trails and maintained their moose management with a record of zero moose kills.

[arlene]

The moose was put down without pain by the wildlife authorities who were doing their job. Why do some people hate their fellow human beings so much that they would rather see an inocent person hurt rather than a moose put down?. Moose are not on the same level as human beings. They are meat to eat.Moose are animals. Man is not an animal. Man is a child of God.It is suprising in this day and age how anyone could be so confused as to be upset over a simple wildlife management situation.

[shu]

I totally agree that humans and moose are not on the same level …. often I find much of nature exercises moral qualities far superior to humans. Also, I must be confused about man as I thought that a human is an immortal alien spiritual being, termed a thetan, that is trapped on planet Earth in a physical body and the thetan has had innumerable past lives and it is accepted in Scientology that lives preceding the thetan’s arrival on Earth lived in extraterrestrial cultures. However, on this point I could be wrong.

[savage]

Shu – you nailed it.

Shu wrote :
> I totally agree that humans and moose are not on the same level …. often
> I find much of nature exercises moral qualities far superior to humans.
> Also, I must be confused about man as I thought that a human is an immortal
> alien spiritual being, termed a thetan, that is trapped on planet Earth in
> a physical body and the thetan has had innumerable past lives and it is
> accepted in Scientology that lives preceding the thetan’s arrival on Earth
> lived in extraterrestrial cultures. However, on this point I could be
> wrong.

[arlene]

To anyone who thinks animals can make moral decisions is confused.Animals do not have free will. Humans have a free will to choose good or bad. This free will is a gift from God. You can choose to use this gift of free will for good. Or you can choose to use this gift of free will to do bad. That is what morality is. If you don’t choose to believe that you are a child of God with dignity, that is your choice. I am sorry you don’t think better of yourself. Humans are not animals. That is the truth. Believe what you will.

[mikes]

Yes, humans are animals. The human’s phylum is Chordata (vertebrate). The human’s class is mammalia. It’s order is primate (the same as apes). It’s family is Hominidae (apes that have no tail and can gather food with their hands.) The Human’s sub-family is Homininae. It’s tribe is Hominini. It’s genus is Homo and it’s specie is scientifically named Homo Sapiens.

If you think you were made from a rib, broken off from Adam, I am sorry you don’t think better of yourself.

[zippy]

mikes

for some reason you engaged your brain in this thread making some astute and erudite comments. some how this does not bleed into your comments on other threads.

starting out with a dead moose on the haul back, we end up discussing adam’s missing rib. gotta love it

think about it

either way, thanks for the great words here.

z

[sydneysider]

C

[mikes]

All responses to Sydneysider on the above post should be directed to:

Contact me at stufinn@hotmail.com

Or my phone numbers:

+1 (408) 212-077

Or

+44 7924 825231

Regards,

Stuart

as seen on: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9505&p=17311#p17311

[savage]

Saturday morning there was a moose on the Red Tree cat road traverse at FAR.

The snow pack is now deep enough that moose will venture onto the cat roads for ease of winter survival.

Doesn’t look like Gorby or any other auxiliary roads have been groomed for the resident moose population.

Hopefully FAR will be proactive this season and execute a plan that will minimize skier and moose encounters.

[Author]

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