Residents comb Fernie, B.C., for orphaned baby moose
The community of Fernie in B.C.'s East Kootenay region is on the lookout for an orphaned moose calf after its mother and sibling were killed in two separate road accidents in the past few weeks.
Resident Colleen Bailey, who volunteers in animal rehabilitation, is working with conservation officers to help coordinate the search.
"We're relying on sightings being reported to us and we're taking calls and texts 24 hours a day to try and track the little guy," she explained.
The calf was part of a small moose family made up of its mother and sibling.
The trio were spotted by locals between Fernie and the Lizard Creek bridge over the past few weeks.
On Father's Day, its mother was found dead at the side of Highway 3. Then, its sibling was killed in another road accident the following Saturday.
Bailey says the calf — who is approximately three weeks old and around 50 pounds (23 kilograms) — is extremely vulnerable to predators, traffic, and likely starving.
"[A calf] can survive for several weeks without the cow's milk but it will be getting weaker as the days progress," Bailey said.
"We're really concerned about it because it's going to need care if it's going to survive."
Right now, she says, the plan is for residents to text or phone a 24-hour hotline if they spot the calf. (The number is 250-919-6207.)
Once the calf is spotted, conservation officers will go out to capture the calf. Bailey says the calf will be examined for injuries before being transported to a rehab centre in Nelson.
She says once the calf is there, it has an excellent chance for survival and eventual release back into the wild.
"The moose population in the Fernie and Elk Valley area need a bit of a helping hand right now. We desperately want to save this little calf and do that."
With files from Daybreak South
