Pete the Moose Faces Uncertain Future

Nov. 24, 2009— -- The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont has a simple beauty -- red barns, green hills, golden leaves. But in this quiet place, a quiet creature is in the middle of a complicated fight.

David Lawrence got a call last spring about a baby moose that had been attacked by dogs and separated from his mother. Lawrence, a longtime farmer, named the moose Pete, and nursed him back to health, feeding him every day.

"He doesn't know if I'm a moose or if he's a person. We have a unique relationship and he loves me and I love Pete," said Lawrence.

A unique relationship that is, by definition, illegal.

"It's illegal to possess wildlife in the state of Vermont without a permit," says Wayne Laroche, commissioner of Vermont's Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But that's just the beginning -- Lawrence is raising Pete on a hunting reserve in Albany, Vt. It's a fenced-in area where people pay to shoot at herds of elk.

Officials fear that confined herds like these are breeding grounds for chronic wasting disease, a condition that can wipe out wildlife. And they worry that Pete, raised inside, could be a carrier.

"Once a disease enters a wildlife population, it's virtually impossible to ever eradicate it," said Laroche. "So you take that risk -- even if it's a small risk today -- you expand that risk out over the next 100 or 200 years. The losses that we could incur could be tremendous."

The state says Pete cannot stay on the farm or go into the wild. So Lawrence and his supporters are looking for a zoo or sanctuary to take him in, but so far, none will.

If no solution is reached by January, he could be killed.

"They don't need to kill Pete. Leave Pete alone. He ain't hurting anybody," Lawrence said.

Lawrence is no stranger to killing animals -- he used to hunt them in the wild.

"I shot my first deer when I was 13. I shot the last deer seven years ago," he said. "I just don't get anything out of it anymore, it makes me sad."

At 74, he says he won't be around much longer and just wants to find a place where Pete will be able to live out the rest of his natural life.

Pete the Moose: Protesters Raise Awareness

The battle over Pete has been joined by protesters and supporters on both sides.

Beth White, who lives in nearby Morrisville, Vt., saw a news report about Pete's plight this summer, and drove north to meet Pete. She also met Lawrence, who has become a friend.

"He has a way with animals," said White. "It's almost like getting to hang out with Dr. Doolittle."

White founded www.savepetethemoose.org to raise awareness about Pete's plight, and rallied supporters on Facebook and Twitter. They have held protests in Montpelier, the state capital, and in Irasburg, where Pete lives, trying to save the moose's life.

"There's so many other problems in the world. The roads are crumbling, babies are hungry, so many other issues. Why are we wasting so much time, energy and money," she said, "on trying to destroy healthy animals that aren't hurting anyone?"

"It's what you would expect people to feel and think and say," said Laroche. "[But] this is not about one moose. My job as fish and wildlife commissioner, and the department -- our job is to ensure the health and welfare of our native wildlife populations. So if it comes down to a single animal -- if that animal jeopardizes the long-term health and welfare of the entire population, you can see that we have concerns and know that we need to deal with it."

The case may be headed to court, but for Lawrence, the issue is much simpler.

"Pete needs me and I need Pete," said Lawrence.

It may take a judge to decide if those needs are bigger than the state's.