The case of Pete the celebrity moose was still alive Friday, though Pete’s death, after initial denials, was announced Friday.
The ungulate’s fate came wandering into Gov. Peter Shumlin’s press conference when a WCAX-TV reporter noted that Pete’s death and misinformation about it had spurred some 1,000 responses to the Burlington-based TV station; the governor was asked for comment.
Shumlin said he shared “sorrow” with Pete’s many fans and jokingly noted that he has sympathy for any creature with a big nose, drawing considerable laughter.
More seriously, he said there was “no question” the state was misled by Pete’s owners, who run a controversial 700-acre big-game preserve in Irasburg that has elk for hunting and also contains seven moose. But he said there where no plans for a fine that he knew of, considering it is a private facility, and the owner, Doug Nelson, had apologized for misleading state wildlife officials, Vermonters and Pete’s many fans by at first denying the moose had died.
According to Nelson, Pete died after being tranquilized for treatment of a hoof problem, which was caused in part by the animal’s diet in the preserve. Nelson initially sought to dispel rumors Pete had died when asked by Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Patrick Berry last week, and issued a photo of “Pete” that later proved to be another moose.
“The lesson in all of this is that there is a reason why wildlife is wild. It doesn’t survive in captivity when you feed it doughnuts and other food.” he said.
Shumlin said the Legislature was correct to “reaffirm” last year that wildlife is a property of the state – and all Vermonters – and should not be kept in captivity.
There are seven other moose in the enclosure, but Shumlin said the Legislature’s action means no others will be similarly treated.
Pete’s story captivated Vermonters and the nation and led to a Facebook page in his honor and an outcry when wildlife officials called for Pete to be euthanized because of concerns he might spread a disease. The Legislature subsequently stepped in and gave Pete a reprieve.
The animal was adopted by David Lawrence, who began caring for Pete when the moose was just 6 days old after its mother had been attacked by dogs. The two had bonded, and their story warmed hearts, but the case also led to extensive discussion in the state about the wisdom and ethics of domesticating wild animals.
“It was the right thing for the Legislature to reaffirm that Vermont wildlife belongs to all of us, in the wild,” the governor said.
