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Claim: Photograph shows a moose hanging from power cables.
Example: [Collected via e-mail, 2006] Origins: Reminiscent of another set of The photograph is real and its accompanying description fairly accurate, although the incident took place two years before this item began hitting our inbox in The 1,200-pound bull moose was still alive when the wires were lowered to the ground, but Department of Fish and Game officials deemed the situation too dangerous to allow for tranquilizing the unfortunate animal before removing it from the wires and decided to kill it instead. As the Associated Press reported at the time:
The workers believe the moose may have come across the sagging and swaying wires and decided to challenge the power line to a fight, as bull moose are known to do during the rut, or mating season.
Last updated: 13 December 2006
"My guess is he was in full rut and probably seen that line moving out there," and decided to fight, said Marvin Pickens, line construction manager for City Electric in Anchorage. Crews can lay up to five miles of line at a time before tightening it with a giant hydraulic winch, said Pickens. The line is pulled through leaders on the crossties at the top of the power poles and then winched tight with as much as 5,000 pounds of pressure, he said. "As you're pulling, it constantly droops up and down," said Pickens. "My guess is that he was right in the middle of one of the sections when it got pulled up." The moose was likely suspended in the air for only a matter of minutes before workers investigated and found it, Marian said. It was tangled in static, the half-inch cable that is strung up next to the power lines to serve as a lightning rod, said Pickens. [Department of Fish and Game technician Dave] Davenport talked to Karl Hanneman, manager of public and environmental affairs for Teck-Pogo, and made the decision to have City Electric workers shoot the moose, based on reports he got about the animal's condition. Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2008 by snopes.com. This material may not be reproduced without permission. snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.  Sources:
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