Moose on the loose!



Bull moose near Beacon, NY-Photo from City of Beacon PD



I'm always interested in whats going on "back home." One of the ways I keep abreast of things is by reading the Hudson River Almanac.  I have subscribed to the electronic version for more years than I can remember.  But after posting about one of my favorite animals yesterday (the Brook Trout)  I find that one of my other favorites has made an appearance in the town directly across the Hudson from where I grew up. Though New York (specifically the Adirondacks) has a small population of moose, they are a very rare sight in the lower Hudson Valley.  I, for one, am very glad to see the young bull make a cameo.  A few hundred years ago they used to more common.  There even used to be elk there too (one of the last was shot around 1801 near New Paltz).  Even though there are still a few large animals that call the valley home, such as black bear and whitetail deer, The moose's appearance is a cause for celebration.  I know that some people see this as a cause for concern and that moose and people need to be protected from one another but I think he should be left alone.  He'll make his way to where ever it is that he needs to go in what ever time it takes him.  In the meantime, I think everyone should take the time to admire such a great animal from a safe distance.  How often will you get the opportunity?  What the moose represents is far more than just some large lumbering animal that's out of place (at least by our standards).  It represents a part of the wild that is no longer available to many of us outside of Maine, Alaska, or Canada.  The moose is an animal that prefers to lead a solitary life in the beautiful setting of the great northern woods, it has incredible strength, and when push comes to shove is not an animal to be trifled with.  It should be admired and not looked at as a convict on the loose.