For nearly 14 years, George the Moose has fascinated visitors to the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. On Thursday, park officials announced the moose died of old age over the weekend, just months shy of his 15th birthday.
According to a post on the Maine Wildlife Park’s Facebook page, George was born in May 2004. He was found with his sister that same year, stranded on the banks of the St. John River in northern Maine. Neither moose was able to cross the river, and their mother was nowhere to be found.
“He arrived in questionable health, but eventually recovered and lived to be the oldest moose to ever reside in the park,” the post reads.
George shared space at the park with seven other moose during his tenure, and was seen by an estimated 1.6 million visitors.
“George was a most excellent moose and we remember him for his service as one of our most popular moose ambassadors,” the post reads.
The Maine Wildlife Park — originally referred to as the “game farm” — is run by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and is open from mid-April through mid-November. More than 30 species of Maine animals live there, including big game like moose, deer and bears, along with plenty of nongame animals that call the state’s woods their homes.
