N.L. woman brokenhearted over euthanization of baby moose after animal almost drowned

A woman in central Newfoundland who bottle-fed a moose calf only a few days old after it almost drowned trying to find its mother is devastated the SPCA euthanized the animal. 

"I was angry, I was upset, I cried," said Brandi Calder, whose husband saved the calf after it tried to cross a brook.

"If I would have known the outcome, I would have kept her hidden."

The husband and wife, who live in Glenwood, weighed their options, but it became clear to Calder what she had to do. 

"[The calf] was distraught, crying for its mother, very tired … but physically, other than tired, she seemed to be pretty healthy," she said. 

"There was no way it would have survived the night, unless it was taken bottle-fed," she said, and she tracked down some goat's milk.

'I would have kept her hidden'

Calder said she called the Gander and area SPCA the next morning. 

Someone from the organization came and got the moose, who Calder said was in "pretty good condition" and even playing with the family dog.

But Calder's optimism crashed a few hours later, after the animal had been taken for a checkup.

"[The woman from the SPCA] called me a couple hours later, said she had bad news that Salmonier [Nature Park] couldn't take it." said Calder.

"She said the vet looked at her, she was dehydrated, and she had diarrhea so they thought it was best to put her down. By that time, it was done," said Calder.

She said she cried and was furious at the result, especially because Calder said she would have kept up the efforts to bottle-feed the calf in the animal's own environment, where the family owns a cabin.

"If I would have know that would have been the outcome, I would have kept her hidden," Calder said.

SPCA responds

For its part, the SPCA said it doesn't have a lot of discretion. 

"We follow our protocol, which is to call the agencies that we need to call and follow their instructions. I do know you're not allowed to keep wildlife yourself," said Betty Suley, head of the Gander and Area SPCA.

"Once you start to raise a moose like that [and bottle-feeding it], it imprints on you, and I don't know if you'd be able to release it back into the wild again."

That's little comfort to the still-emotional Calder. 

"What it all comes down to is your heart, it's a life … euthanization is supposed to be a last resort, but it's not — it's the first option," she said.