Animals: Seagoing Moose

Amid pounding, wind-lashed combers two miles off the coast of Nova Scotia one day last week, the crew of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police cruiser Scatarie peered into the offing with amazement at what they saw—a big bull moose swimming out to sea. Spume drenched his antlers, waves submerged his muzzle as he swam, obviously in distress, into the wind.

Over the side to the rescue swung a boat crew. They got a line around the beast and hoisted him to the Scatarie’s deck, sprawling and bedraggled. His pulse was faint and he seemed near death from exhaustion. Piling rugs and blankets on him. the officers took turns giving him artificial respiration, pressing down on his broad ribs with their hands & knees. Slowly the moose revived, began bellowing and thrashing. The Scatarie’s crew lashed him stoutly, carried him in shore and. tying a metal tag to one antler, lowered him over the side to go crashing and snorting off into the underbrush.