The Maine Warden Service is looking for information on the individuals responsible for illegally killing a moose, taking its meat and leaving the remains to rot in a field in Patten. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine Warden Service

PATTEN, Maine — Game wardens are seeking the public’s help to determine who illegally shot and killed a moose in Patten, leaving the animal to rot.

The moose was discovered near a dirt road that leads to fields off Clark Road in Patten. The animal was killed with a single shot, and the backstrap meat was removed before the moose was left to rot, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Although officials are not certain exactly when the animal was killed, the warden service believes it was killed during Thanksgiving week.

Maine’s Operation Game Thief is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information about this killing can call 1-800-ALERT-US.