Y'see, he was raised by squirrels. Yep, as a mooselet, he was taken in by an Western Gray Squirrel family, and raised as one of their own.

Well, he got big enough, and couldn't squeeze into the den trying to get away from a coyote. So, he did the best he knew how, headed up a pole, and onto the wires. He didn't realize how big he'd become, and slipped, catching his antlers.

Sad, too, because he was going to get his honorary bushy tail the next week.

Oddly enough, it's a common fate of mooselets raised by Western Gray Squirrels.

There is a move afoot, or ahoove, to require power transmission companies to keep the wires farther apart than the breadth of a large 3 y/o moose's rack, as once they get three they can't climb the poles anymore.

Another group is lobbying to have the voltage dropped to below what would electrocute a moose who was raised by Westerh Gray Squirrels who falls off a wire. Unfortunately, there are no subjects on whom to test that voltage, and it's possible your basic mooselet raised by mooses has a different resistance due to not trying to squeeze into dens.

And of course an educational project is ongoing with Eastern Gray Squirrels to teach them to NOT adopt mooselets.

It's a tragedy, of course, and one which could be prevented with a little care and thought beforehand.

And even so, this guy might have lived if there hadn't been 14 rifle rounds through him, along with the 6 arrows.

So, George, it does have a happy ending. The moose was shot to death, liberated from it's misery after all. By 4 hunters on 4 ATVs pursuing Operation Moose Freedom, and is now residing in heaven with 6 virgin mooselettes. And except for his carcass, he's not in the way of drilling for oil. Good night, now.

Good night, Laura. And Karen. And Condoleeza. And Mom. And goodnight moose.