Rescued Moose Is Here To Stay; Adored By Wildlife Park Visitors
She started out as a rescue, then turned into a crowd pleaser, and is now assumed to be a permanent fixture.
Rescue animals are often released back into nature after being rehabilitated or raised to a proper age, but Miss Maggie the 2-month old moose isn't one of them. According to the Press Herald, Maine Wildlife Park Superintendent Curt Johnson says it was clear from the start that she would likely stay with them for the long haul. “Just based on our experience with raising moose, they just don’t rehab well – the level of care and all the bottle feeding, all the interaction that they’re exposed to,” Johnson said.
Visitors flock to the park to see Miss Maggie during her feeding times, open to viewing by the public. She runs to anyone she sees holding a bottle now, which doesn't bode well for her instincts.
"We can’t really release them with the confidence that they’re going to have those wild instincts that are going to keep them away from the roadways and people’s backyards,” Johnson said.
Moose are more docile animals, even in the wild, he said, because they “don’t have that flight instinct like deer tend to have.” Easily adapting to a life alongside humans, Miss Maggie alone has brought in the masses this summer.
Despite the excitement surrounding her presence at the park, officials caution that moose calves aren't the easiest animals to keep alive. The last calf to be rehabilitated in the center came to them in rough shape and passed away a few months later. Miss Maggie has had her fair share of digestive issues since being rescued by the park, reports the Press Herald. They proceed with caution, keeping in mind the delicate nature of the four-chambered moose stomach, but in the mean time, Miss Maggie is growing rapidly in pounds and popularity every day.