CRITTER CHATTER: Reminiscing at Duck Pond Center – part 7

Young moose.

by Jayne Winters

In looking through old articles and photo albums from Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center, I discovered a story about a baby moose that arrived at the Cotes’ in 1993. What follows is part of Carleen’s column from August 1997, recounting that experience:

On May 15, 1993, we received a call from the State Police at 10 p.m. asking if we could go to Sidney to pick up a baby moose only hours old. The calf had made its entrance into the world in a most unfortunate way.

Two tour buses loaded with people who had gone to Boston for a day of sightseeing and shopping were returning to Skowhegan via I-95. Near the Sidney exit, the lead bus pulled to the side of the highway, then the second bus followed suit. Up ahead, another bus was already pulled over and the passengers from the two tour buses joined the many people who were looking down a steep banking, trying to determine what had happened.

Then the story unraveled. The first bus to stop on the highway had just hit a pregnant cow moose. The impact had thrown one baby calf from its mother. The cow lay a few feet from this calf, with a second baby still inside her body. Among the passengers was a young woman who worked with veterinarians, and she ran to rescue the unborn calf, while a young man cradled the first calf in a blanket to keep it warm. The young woman even performed mouth to mouth resuscitation on the unconscious baby, to no avail. The bus drivers contacted the State Police, but were told there were no available troopers. Eventually, a trooper arrived, contacted his headquarters and asked the dispatcher to call us.

Since this was our first moose calf, the next morning I started making calls for information on how to care for the surviving baby moose who had been so traumatized – but very little information was available. After many calls, I was referred to a woman in Bangor who was researching moose; she would send me literature. In the meantime, I proceeded to care for the calf as I would care for a fawn

Despite our best efforts, on the calf’s fifth day I noticed blood in its stool, not an encouraging sign. And, not surprisingly, the next day the calf died, succumbing to injuries it had received when its mother was hit by the bus. This unfortunate incident, though it broke my heart, is part of the reality of caring for creatures of the wild.” (In case you were wondering, the Cotes cared for several other young and subadult moose over the years with positive outcomes.)

This story reminded me of the fawn I wrote about in 2023; thankfully, the outcome was more positive. A doe had crossed the road in front of a car and the driver couldn’t avoid hitting her. Upset and worried about the doe’s condition, he got out of the vehicle to make sure she wasn’t suffering. Although she had died upon impact, she had expelled her fawn, still in its placenta. The driver and his wife delivered the baby, rubbing it down with a blanket and massaging its mouth to get the airway functioning. Its first breaths were drawn while being held by its human “parents.” What a gift, especially under such sad circumstances.

They brought the fawn home and made calls to several rehabbers, none of whom had room for a newborn. Having grown up on a farm and familiar with raising young animals, the couple took on the care and feeding of the newborn fawn. At three weeks old, he was brought to Don at Duck Pond for bonding with others his age and was eventually transferred to another rehabber for release with his new friends.

Duck Pond is not accepting admissions or phone messages at this time, but we have worked closely with Wilderness Miracles Rehab, in Bowdoin, (Kathi at 207-720-0074), Misfits Rehab, in Auburn (Jen at 207-212-1039), Bridget Green, in Wiscasset (207-631-0874), Critterville Wildlife, in Brooklin (845-549-2407), and Saco River Wildlife (207-702-1405). Turtle rehabber Pam Meier can be reached at The Turtle’s Back (203-903-2708). Otherwise, please check these websites for a rehabber close to you: https://www.mainevetmed.org/wildlife-rehabilitation or https://www.maine.gov/ifw/fish-wildlife/wildlife/living-with-wildlife/orphaned-injured-wildlife/index.html or contact your local Animal Control Officer through your town office.