Young orphaned moose dies in Yukon after sudden illness
Faro, 1 of 2 orphaned moose rescued in Yukon, died recently at Yukon Wildlife Preserve
One of two young orphaned moose rescued in Yukon has died while in care at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.
Faro was rescued late May near the community he was later named after. Conservation officers had spotted the young moose wandering alone in the bush near the community. After about 48 hours of observation, and with no sign of his mother returning, Faro was taken to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve in Whitehorse.
Jake Paleczny, executive director of the preserve, said Faro showed symptoms of illness very soon after arriving at the shelter, including general weakness, ataxia (unco-ordinated muscle movements) and mild pneumonia.
"The challenging thing about wildlife rehabilitation is that we don't know the life experience of these animals, we don't know their medical history," he said.
Faro was treated by for his symptoms and they cleared up. But after several weeks of apparently normal activity, Faro collapsed on July 2.
"Over the following days he exhibited some partial paralysis which really limited his ability to move around effectively," said Paleczny.
"As a result of that he started to develop other conditions and his overall health condition declined to the point where it was clear that there was really no hope of recovery."
Faro was euthanized after animal care staff at the preserve determined pain medication was no longer doing its job. Paleczny said the cause of Faro's death is unknown despite consultation with many experts.
Watson the moose OK
Watson — an orphaned moose rescued near Watson, Yukon, at nearly the same time as Faro — remains healthy Paleczny said.
The two moose, both about two weeks old when they first arrived at the preserve, had been described at the time as having bonded instantly when they met.
"[Watson] hasn't exhibited any of the same symptoms or health issues. He's just moved into a larger outdoor habitat."
Paleczny said Watson will likely remain a permanent resident of the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.
"The ungulates that we receive here at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve don't typically get released back into the wild," he said.
"There's a lot that we has humans can't do when it comes to raising an animal ... preparing it for the wild is not something we're able to do here."
Faro was cremated to destroy traces of the chemical agent used in his euthanization.
Written by Walter Strong with files from Kaila Jefferd-Moore