Aggressive behavior, unbalanced movements and excessive drooling might sound like a scene outside of an Alaskan bar on a Saturday night, but in this extremely rare case, the above actually describes the recent behavior of an Alaskan moose.
Earlier this month, reports came in about a moose lumbering around Teller, AK. The animal was noted to have been acting very aggressive towards humans, had trouble keeping its balance and was profusely drooling as it rambled through town in the early morning hours. In what was later confirmed as the first ever documented case of rabies in Alaskan moose, state officials promptly dispatched of the affected moose and began an investigative autopsy.
Early results indicated that the animal was bitten by what officials believed to have been a rabid fox. Bite marks and lacerations on the animal’s chest indicate that it was previously bitten according to wildlife veterinarian Dr. Kimberlee Beckmen.
“And it appears that this news was bitten by a fox sometime this winter. There was a bite wound that was partially healed, evident on its chest,”Beckmen said.
While the case is extremely rare, Alaskan wildlife officials are paying close attention to moose and other animals in the vicinity of the incident. Assuring residents that moose tend to be quite solitary during this time of the year, officials believe that an outbreak in moose or other ungulates would be extremely rare.
“It’s not a very common animal to go ahead and be identified. We have identified or a fishing game has identified rabies in caribou, and that’s not a very common animal to be associated with rabies as well,” Dr. Bob Gerlach, state veterinarian, said.
Officials have asked the public to be vigilant in reporting suspected rabid animals, but in the event of an encounter, AFGD urges the public to keep their distance from these animals, no matter how click-worthy that selfie with a raging moose might be.
