A moose has drowned after falling through ice on the Aroostook River in Presque Isle, according to the Maine Warden Service.
It was not immediately clear when the animal fell, but Warden Alan Dudley started hearing reports around 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon, he said.
The moose was partly visible near the Route 1 bridge, looking toward the Reach Road.
“This was just a young moose that had walked out on the river and fell through the ice, and in the end it succumbed,” Dudley said. “Believe it or not, this is not uncommon. The only uncommon thing about this was that it was in public view.”
The warden believes the moose was young because he saw tracks at the ATV Park and Ride in Presque Isle. An older, healthy moose also wouldn’t likely show itself so close to human activity, he said.
This is about the fourth moose Dudley has found so far this year.
Thawing rivers and melting snow often reveal the remains of wildlife that didn’t make it for one reason or another, he said. They may fall through fragile ice or even starve if food is scarce.
Most of the time, it happens in unpopulated and remote areas. This time, it was near a public road.
Presque Isle police warned people earlier Monday to stay away from the area, adding that the moose stood a better chance of survival if left alone.
“Please do not go out onto the ice or attempt to reach the moose in the water. The ice is very thin and the water is moving quickly, creating a very dangerous situation,” officers said in a release.
Many people don’t understand why rescue isn’t always possible, Dudley said. When an animal is stuck in the middle of water with thin ice, there’s just no way to get to it and no chance of it getting out alive. In such cases, the only option usually is to put it down.
“This is nature. It’s just most of the time when it happens, you don’t know about it.”