Biologists suspect neurological illness behind unusual behavior after the bull moose was spotted lying directly in the trail
By Mike Lynch
(Update: This story has been modified to include new information provided by the DEC.)
Staff from the state Department of Environmental Conservation hiked Goodman Mountain in Tupper Lake on July 10 and confirmed the bull moose is still hunkered down near the summit.
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DEC wildlife biologist Paul Jensen said a group of about eight people, including Cornell Wildlife Health Center staff and a state wildlife veterinarian, encountered it less than a 10-minute walk from the top.
“It was bedded directly in the middle of the trail,” Jensen said.
The animal has been in this general vicinity since May when several hiking parties encountered it. The DEC temporarily closed the trail on June 6 as a precautionary measure to protect hikers and to minimize disturbances to the animal.
When the DEC-led group headed into the woods on July 10, the moose didn’t notice the group until people started talking louder and clapping their hands, Jensen said.
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“It seemed a little bit oblivious to our presence until we started to really make some noise,” he said.
At that point, the bull moose started walking uphill.
The animal did tilt its head slightly, which can be a symptom of having brainworm, but there were no “overt clinical” signs to definitively say this is the case, Jensen said. Still the consensus of the group was that the animal appeared “off.”
Moose are known to suffer from a number of illnesses caused by parasites such as brainworm and giant liver fluke. Both are fatal to moose.
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DEC has reached out to experts in other states for advice and have been told that moose will sometimes stay in the same location for a long period of time, so that is also a possibility.
“It’s a little bit of a head scratcher,” Jensen said.
The uncertainty has left DEC in a waiting mode and they are monitoring the area with trail cameras that have been set up since shortly after the moose decided to take up residence.
If the cameras don’t capture the moose for a few days, then the DEC will make another site visit to try to locate the moose again.
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As of now, the trail will remain closed until DEC determines it is safe to reopen. An update will be issued at that time.
Signage is posted at trailheads and access points, and the DEC is urging visitors to seek alternative hiking destinations in the region.
For more information about the closure, contact DEC Region 6 Office of Natural Resources at (315) 785-2263.
Top photo: DEC encountered the moose in the middle of the trail on Goodman Mountain on July 10. Photo courtesy of DEC
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