/

Moose calf ‘Suzie’ rescued at Saddleback

2 mins read


Suzie peers from the woods at Saddleback prior to her rescue on Wednesday.

RANGELEY – An orphaned moose calf was relocated on Wednesday to Second Chance Wildlife, Inc. in New Sharon with the help of Saddleback Maine staff.

Since October, employees at Saddleback had noticed a moose calf wandering around Saddleback Mountain. The young moose was dubbed “South Branch Suzie” due to her habit of frequenting the South Branch skiing area of the resort.

“We always saw Suzie alone, but assumed her mama was nearby. It became apparent that she was on her own when guests were finding her standing in the doorways of the condos looking for shelter,” said Jenn Farmer, wife of Saddleback’s general manager, Chris Farmer. “Once people began to pose with her for pictures and were petting her, we started making calls for help.”

Maine Game Warden Reggie Hammond hoped that Suzie would connect with another cow and baby living on the mountain and the cow would take Suzie in, but it hadn’t happened. On Monday, Dec. 27, Jim Quimby, Saddleback’s mountain manager, heard that Suzie was on the trails and was almost hit by the groomer at night.

“That’s when we decided that something had to be done,” Jenn Farmer said. “We started a Facebook page for Suzie and within 24 hours she had over 200 friends supporting her. I also contacted several state legislators on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife committee. A call was made to the wonderful people at D.E.W. Animal Kingdom of Mt. Vernon and they pointed me in the right direction.” 

Dawn Brown at Second Chance Wildlife, Inc. in New Sharon, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, was contacted and was already aware of Suzie’s situation. Hammond, with Brown and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist, Chuck Hulsey, coordinated the effort to move Suzie to Second Chance.

Saddleback’s owners, the Berry’s, provided the horse trailer to transport the calf to New Sharon on Wednesday where she will be rehabilitated and released into the wild in the spring.


From left to right: Irene Berry, Jenn Farmer and Bill Berry watch as the moose is loaded up for transport.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email