Blog: Offbeat Fairbanks
I love this picture of a moose in harness. My initial reaction was that the gentleman strapping him into the harness was one brave man. However, he's probably putting the harness on a Clydesdale, not a trophy bull moose.
Yes, the picture is a fake -- you can check it out at urbanlegends.com and snopes.com.
However, it led to a discussion about domesticating moose. That’s not a new idea. I remember seeing a photo of a moose doing field work in the early 1900s at the Fort Egbert museum in Eagle, Alaska. There are also stories of a pet moose with a drinking problem making a nuisance of itself in downtown Fairbanks in the early 1900s. It is, however, illegal in Fairbanks to serve alcohol to a moose.
The snopes.com site also includes a couple of pictures of moose pulling wagons and other domestic chores. Here are some links to more:
Ben Moore’s Moose in Harness, Skaguay Alaska
Baby moose in cabin from Alaska’s Digital Archives
Team of trained moose in Ontario
Undoubtedly, there are many more examples. However, since moose are naturally cantankerous, obstreperous and generally dangerous animals, domestication wasn’t generally successful.
Of course, it should go without saying -- don’t try this at home.
For information on all things moose, visit Mooseworld.com
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