Due North Archives

The moose and the stun gun
February 8, 2005
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Faro, Yukon, were summoned in June to the Northern version of a cat
stuck up a tree. A cow moose and her newborn had wandered into a backyard in the community. When it came time
to wander out, the mother stepped easily over the high fence but the still-wobbly babe was too little to follow. The
distressed pair wasn't able to get around the situation -- hey, they're only moose -- so Corporal Ken Alderson and
Constable Garry Sokwaypnace had to figure things out for them.
The calf began to tire. His 500-kilogram mother became aggressive, snorting and charging would-be helpers. The
officers worried they might have to shoot the pair, until they thought of a novel alternative: their government-issue
TASER. The device is designed to deliver a 50,000-volt current that temporarily immobilizes bad guys. Alderson
snuck up behind the cow and applied the current while Sokwaypnace and another man lifted the newborn gently
over the fence. As soon as they scrambled away, Alderson cut the current. Mother and baby are reported to be doing
fine.