May 21, 2003
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Local Alaska news:
Some man in Anchorage is hoping that Fish and Game officers will come and “move” the mama moose and her twins from his yard before mama perceives him or his family or a neighbor as a threat to her babies. I’m hoping mama and twins mosey off on their own before Fish and Game gets there, because they have an annoying habit of shooting annoying city moose.
Some questionably humane person “liberated” five dogs from their cozy compartments in Iditarod musher Debbie Moterow’s “kennel truck.” She had parked on an Anchorage street to have dinner in a restaurant. Four of the dogs were rounded up quickly, but Reno was on the loose for about 24 hours before a citizen called animal control to complain about the stray in his yard. Now Debbie and Reno are happily reunited and out of the city.
I’m so glad I got out of that city 20 years ago. The feud between the Tongans and Samoans there has claimed another victim. A 15-year-old Tongan boy was shot to death Sunday night, caught in a crossfire during a shootout. Makes me appreciate my quiet subarctic suburban neighborhood that much more.
In more personal news, I’m not taking it personally.
The Old Fart called last night and left a message on my answering machine. It was his usual style, the good news/bad news ploy to soften the blow. The good news was some irrelevant-to-me thing he dredged up for the purpose, then:
“The bad news: I’m drinking… gonna look into AA in Wasilla. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
That he’s not living here now really helped to soften the blow for me. I’m not terribly upset about this, as I had been so many times before. Maybe my uncharacteristic neutrality has something to do with the fact that my own addictions are under control currently.
Whatever may be contributing to my sanguine mood, I appreciate it. I’m not even worrying over whether he will actually call today. If he does, he will talk to the answering machine again.
Comments (7)
I LOVE moose. I think they are cool. But we don’t have them here in Washington. I work for Washington State Fish and Wildlife. We have a three strikes and your out rule for nuisance big game (bears and cougars). We trap and move the animals but if they come back more than twice, that’s it. We are having a lot of problems with bears and cougars since they took away specific hunting types. They have been seen in a couple of different school areas. Scary stuff.
I think i have already commented on the moose of my short year in anchorage as a youth
also just in case you need it but sounds like your a veteren
http://www.ola-is.org/
Why is it that small and socially fascinating tribes want to kill each other off, but we just can’t seem to get the Catholics and Mormons to pick up guns and go at it?
Doesn’t seem fair to me……..
Good to see you again…
They do that to alligators here…..if they are a nuisance…BAM.
It always angers me when I hear about people calling fish and game (and other similar authorities) on animals like that… Living in the mountains I am of the opinion that if you can’t handle wild animals in your yard, you need to find a new place to live. Then again, I may just think that because I receive visits from a family of deer and several foxes at a regular time each day.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!
look at the baby moose! look at those ears and those spindly legs!!
sorry about the old f…er…bear. i hope (and you know this is true) that he finds a way to deal with the addictions.
I agree with xkillxmexfaster. The problem isn’t the animals, it’s the humans encroaching on their territory that’s the real problem. The ‘three-strike rule’ liviatasia mentioned isn’t the answer either, since the animals were probably there, calling that area home, before people moved in. But isn’t this the ‘White mentality?’ The one that allowed the intentional spreading of disease into the Native American population by providing them with small-pox-tainted blankets after they were rounded up into a small, non-viable area. It’s awful to me that this ‘White mentality’ considers even other human races/cultures no better than these animals they push out or kill.