He tells the public at the Ishpeming City Council meeting that there was no other option than euthanasia.
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ISHPEMING -- After almost three days of talk and rumors about the decision to take down a mother moose, Ishpeming Police Chief Jim Bjorne spoke out Wednesday night at the Ishpeming City Council meeting about why he had no other choice.
"If I had made the decision to kill that mother moose simply because she was feeding with her children and refusing to leave as portrayed in the video," explained Chief Bjorne, "I would expect to be fired, asked to resign, and even be charged criminally."
Chief Borne explained that hours after the TV video was taken, more crowds began to gather and the moose became erratic. Soon onlookers were disobeying roadblocks and running through the street for a glimpse.
"It was soon after this that we decided to use lethal force," Chief Bjorne said. "and end this situation before someone got run over by the moose or run over by somebody in their car trying to take a picture."
DNR biologists also explained that tranquilizing the moose and relocating it was not a good option. They say it would have been too risky because of its size and the lack of space for the moose to run before the drugs kicked in.
The explanations seemed to satisfy most people who showed up at the meeting. Their only question now is why wasn't there a proper plan in place to deal with the moose and control the crowd.
"We live up here with the wildlife," commented an Ishpeming resident. "Is this the first time they've ever wandered into town? I don't think so. Why wasn't there a plan in place to deal with it?"
"If our citizens can't follow the law," added another resident, "then why aren't they being arrested and put in jail?"
Ishpeming Mayor Pat Scanlon says the council will work with the county board and the Sheriff's Department to come up with proper protocol if and when the situation arises again.
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