Dead Moose (Alces alces) Found in Water

Observation by Harold Okitun:

The moose picture was from a relative (Mary Pearl Okitkun) from Mt. Village, she did not know how it died and says there's a big hole on it's side as seen in the picture.

Dr. Kimberlee Beckman, Wildlife Veterinarian at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, writes:

It looks too far gone to be useful diagnostically.

Comments from LEO Editors:

We forwarded this observation to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Department of Wildlife Conservation. Part of the responsibility for that office is to determine the cause of death in birds and mammals. Tissue samples are an important part of determining whether the cause of death was related to bacteria, virus, or toxin. However, samples must be taken from a freshly dead animal. One moose was found,is likely an isolated incident which could have been natural cause or a wide variety of other reasons. When a die of many animals occur it raises concerns that some environmental or infectious disease may be at play. In this case, the observer also reported sixteen dead seals. We encourage However, if more moose are found dead, we encourage observers to report it to ADFG directly or to LEO Network.. Erica Lujan