Roost Air Lounge => Aviation related topics => Topic started by: undatc on March 05, 2007, 09:50:30 PM
Title: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: undatc on March 05, 2007, 09:50:30 PM
Had to post this one....
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A helicopter is not necessarily a match for an angry moose.
Instead of slowing down after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, a moose charged a hovering helicopter used by a wildlife biologist, damaging the aircraft's tail rotor and forcing it to the ground.
Neither the pilot nor the biologist was injured, but the moose was maimed by the spinning rotor and had to be euthanized, wildlife officials said.
"It just had to be one of those quirky circumstance. Even dealing with bears and goats and moose and wolves, this is pretty unusual and truly a very unique situation," said Doug Larsen, regional supervisor for the Division of Wildlife Conservation.
Biologist Kevin White was aboard the chartered helicopter on Saturday for a study of moose near Gustavus, a community of 459 people about 50 miles northwest of Juneau in southeast Alaska. Moose outnumber humans there 2-to-1, White has written in an essay for the Department of Fish and Game Web site.
He shot the animal with a tranquilizer dart, Larsen said, and the pilot maneuvered the helicopter to keep the animal from slipping into a tight space or collapsing in water and drowning.
"The moose would start to move, and then the helicopter would back off and try to keep the moose out in the open," Larsen said.
But instead of moving toward open space, the moose charged the helicopter.
"As the animal got closer and closer to going down, an animal sort of loses its thinking -- its ability to rationalize what's in its best interest," Larsen said.
They'll take on trains, too. they go a little nuts during the rut. ::loony::
I've been told that moose are more dangerous than bears due to their tendency to charge anything and everything if they are in the wrong mood.
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: Turbomallard on March 11, 2007, 09:52:08 PM
A Møøse once bit my sister...
TM
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: FlyboyGil on March 11, 2007, 10:41:57 PM
Why do these FREAKIN" Biologists have to tag every wild animal? Why can't they leave them alone. They've got more than enough on them to know their habits and how man is affecting them. Now this poor moose had to be destroyed.
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: Baradium on March 12, 2007, 12:26:25 AM
Why do these FREAKIN" Biologists have to tag every wild animal? Why can't they leave them alone. They've got more than enough on them to know their habits and how man is affecting them. Now this poor moose had to be destroyed.
At least it probobly means some more food for the local food bank/ soup kitchen...
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: Yuppie01 on March 12, 2007, 01:35:03 PM
Was Rocky with him? He might have been trying to head for the coast to take a ride on the Ruby Yacht of Omar Khayyam. ::rofl::
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: Gulfstream Driver on March 12, 2007, 03:22:56 PM
¿Why the helicopter pilot didn´t keep a safer distance? ::loony:: Rifles shoot at a certain distance, ::rambo:: you don´t neet to grab the nose to inject the poor beast... ::loony::
DonYan: Safety is in the hans of the Pilot ::whistle:: ::wave::
They had already shot him with the tranquilizer. They were using the helicopter to keep the moose from the water where it would drown. The moose got mad at being kept from the water.
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: Baradium on March 15, 2007, 11:13:15 PM
DonYan to Baradium: not a personal answer, just my poor opinion. I respect you very much, respect hely´s very much as their pilots as well. I respect wildlife too: I learned to respect nature as a hunter. It seems to me that bad decisions by inexperienced personel in the heat of the moment, where responsible for that accident. It sounds like the lake ditching...too low & slow |:)\
No offense taken. ;) And I respect you as well.
I've heard about them using helo's to herd horses and cattle in the midwestern U.S. Of course, I don't have any rotary wing experience myself anyway. I don't know what standard procedures are in herding animals, and I wonder if the helo pilot flat out didn't expect a moose to ever *not* go away from the helicopter.
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: TheSoccerMom on March 16, 2007, 12:58:50 AM
I know the COOLEST woman who uses her helicopter to herd cattle on their ranch in eastern Oregon. She is awesome!!! |:)\
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: TheSoccerMom on March 16, 2007, 07:15:10 PM
No, she has a little Hughes that is painted bright yellow, and she calls her "Woodstock", after the little bird in the Peanuts comic strip. She is SO FUNNY, and SO FUN, just an amazing person. When she tells stories, she has everyone in tears, and she's not even trying. ;D
That Blackhawk was from the Special Forces aviation regiment; we were flying an Army project. There was one on the Doug's other wingtip, too. We were trying to take some good pictures on the way back to base, and they kept laughing at us, saying "Man! Get some forward speed on that thing, we're too slow!" and we would laugh and answer "But we're pedaling as fast as we can!!!!!!!" Which we were. ;)
8)
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: cj5_pilot on March 16, 2007, 08:33:14 PM
Moose do strange things ANY time of the year. I've been out hunting grouse after moose season was over and had 'em (60"+ bull--2 weeks AFTER the season was over) charge my Ford Bronco. I've seen a cow charge in to the drivers door of a Chevy Pickup, get up and walk off. Phil can remember when the elderly gentleman up at UAF was trampled to death at the front door of the Phys Ed building. We had a problem at a store I worked at in Soldotna where a moose figured out how to use the motion activated doors to get in to the produce department (he liked the lettuce). Had one take out my parent's outdoor steps that he was sleeping under when the furnace lit and the sound startled him. South Central Air lost a Navajo at SXQ when it hit a moose on the runway (believe with the starboard engine). "Moose in vicinity of airport" is a common ATIS warning in Alaska.
Myself, I love watching moose, but I make no mistake that they are a wild animal and therefore unpredictible. My hand hovers as close to the .44 when they are near as it does when there is a bear near.
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: Frank N. O. on March 16, 2007, 09:00:13 PM
No, she has a little Hughes that is painted bright yellow, and she calls her "Woodstock", after the little bird in the Peanuts comic strip. She is SO FUNNY, and SO FUN, just an amazing person. When she tells stories, she has everyone in tears, and she's not even trying. ;D
That Blackhawk was from the Special Forces aviation regiment; we were flying an Army project. There was one on the Doug's other wingtip, too. We were trying to take some good pictures on the way back to base, and they kept laughing at us, saying "Man! Get some forward speed on that thing, we're too slow!" and we would laugh and answer "But we're pedaling as fast as we can!!!!!!!" Which we were. ;)
8)
Stories like that really really want me to become a special mission cargo-pilot like you :) (do you have a more precise title that the one I made btw?)
Frank
Title: Re: Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter
Post by: TheSoccerMom on March 17, 2007, 02:33:34 AM
Hello Frank, No, I certainly don't have any "title" but you did a fine job of that one you offered up, so I will adopt it if I can. ;)
Usually I am called some pretty inglorious things, some of them names, and not all of them printable here. ;D
So I am flattered by your terms. ;)
I have been very lucky to have some fun times in aviation, and I still think the best part is the people. For instance, here in the Coop. ::bow::
