Buzzwinkle
| 🐈 🐕 🐎 Species | Alces alces |
|---|---|
| 🚻 Sex | Male |
| 📆 🐤 Born | Around 1995 |
| 💀 Died | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Years active | 2004-2008 |
| Known for | Mischief while living in urban Anchorage, Alaska |
| 🏡 Residence | Anchorage, Alaska |
| ⚖️ Weight | About 1,400lb |
Buzzwinkle (c. 1995 – April 3, 2008) was a bull moose (Alces alces) known for mischief while living in Anchorage, Alaska. Buzzwinkle first gained attention in 2004 when he managed to get his antlers tangled in a rope swing in an Anchorage neighbourhood. Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Biologist Rick Sinnott responded to the scene and had to dart Buzzwinkle to remove the tangle and tagged Buzzwinkle in the process.[1]
Buzzwinkle was again noticed, in his main claim to fame, three years later on November 27, 2007 when he was found at Bernie's Bungalow Lounge in Anchorage with Christmas lights tangled in his antlers and seemingly drunk from eating fermented crabapples.[2] Sinnott was again called to the scene and noticed the orange tag on Buzzwinkle's ear, which indicated he had previously responded to an incident involving Buzzwinkle.[3] Buzzwinkle, not presenting a threat to anyone, and in accordance with Anchorage's policy of coexistence with wildlife, was left to sober up. Anchorage Daily News reporter Julia O'Malley, in an article published the following day, gave Buzzwinkle his name, a reference to his drunken 'buzz' and the twinkle of the Christmas lights in his antlers.[2]
For the next few months, Buzzwinkle became something of a local celebrity and Sinnott would receive calls from residents sharing that they'd seen Buzzwinkle in the city. Sinnott noticed that Buzzwinkle had a rear leg injury in early 2008, and when callers would report sightings of Buzzwinkle, Sinnott would ask how the moose was doing to try to get details about the condition of Buzzwinkle's leg.
On April 3rd, 2008[4], Sinnott was called to respond to a moose lying in a vacant lot behind a print shop in Anchorage. Sinnott recognized the moose as Buzzwinkle and noted that Buzzwinkle was thin from malnourishment in Alaska's rough winter and spring. Sinnott euthanized Buzzwinkle with a 12-gauge shotgun. In a kind of eulogy for Buzzwinkle in the Anchorage Daily News, Sinnott wrote[5]:
T. S. Eliot could have been thinking of moose when he proclaimed April the cruelest month. With its reserves depleted, the larder empty, and nothing green in sight, it's not uncommon for a moose to succumb during the slow transition from winter to spring. I couldn't leave Buzzwinkle helpless, feebly tracing arcs in the dirt with his hooves, to be worried by dogs or to lose his eyes to a raven. I shot him between the eyes. I don't believe he saw me or felt the impact of the 12-gauge shotgun slug. After euthanizing the bull, I patted his neck and ran my index finger over his molars, worn to the gums. Buzzwinkle was a very old moose, the oldest bull I'd ever seen.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Moose dubbed Buzzwinkle euthanized". Toronto Star. 10 April 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 O'Malley, Julia. "Moose lit up like a Christmas tree in more ways than one". Anchorage Daily News.
- ↑ Mooallem, Jon (14 December 2017). "When the Beasts Come Marching In". This American Life. WBEZ Chicago.
- ↑ Halpin, James. "Buzzwinkle, moose who wandered downtown Anchorage, killed humanely". Seattle Times.
- ↑ Sinnott, Rick. "Recalling Alaska's most notorious drunken moose, the street-smart Buzzwinkle". Anchorage Daily News.
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