TTHENAAGO/NAHANNI BUTTE
A CSI-like investigation is underway in the Deh Cho, but the victim has four legs instead of two.

Dr. Iga Stasiak starts a necropsy on a moose calf that was found on Jan. 29 inside of a wildlife fence around a settling pond at an Apache Canada Ltd. oil and gas remediation site near Fisherman Lake. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) is using a necropsy and tissue samples to determine the cause of death of a moose calf that was found inside of a wildlife fence around a settling pond at an Apache Canada Ltd. oil and gas remediation site near Fisherman Lake outside of Fort Liard.

The dead calf, approximately nine months old. was discovered on Jan. 29. A cow, who was still alive inside of the enclosure, was released through a gate.

The department doesn't do a lot of necropsies on moose, primarily because the carcasses are scavenged before they are found, said Dr. Iga Stasiak, a wildlife veterinarian with ENR. In this case, the site where the calf was found and whether that was related to its death, is one of the reasons an investigation is being done.

"There's a lot of public interest," she said.

People will want to know if the calf came in contact with any contaminants while it was beside the pond, Stasiak said. There is also interest from other areas.

"We'd be interested in finding out how it died, for sure," said Nic Larter, the manager of wildlife research and monitoring in the Deh Cho for ENR.

Stasiak conducted the necropsy on the 180 kilogram animal in the ENR warehouse in Fort Simpson Feb. 10. Her initial main findings are that the moose was in poor condition and had little fat stored internally. Those conditions may have started before the moose became trapped, she said. The moose did eat some plant material, including cattails, and a large amount of flagging tape, which was being used as a deterrent for birds, while it was inside the fence.

The dramatic increase in temperature in the period prior to when the moose was found could have also played a role, Stasiak said. Temperatures in the area went from a mean of -20 C on Jan. 21 to a high 5.9 C on Jan. 22 up to 14.8 C from Jan. 23 to 24. Temperatures also rose above zero between Jan. 14 to 17.

Factors such as exhaustion could have been exasperated by the heat, she said. The temperatures could also explain how the cow and calf got trapped. It's suspected that snowbanks that helped the moose get over the approximately 1.8 metre fence melted leaving them on the inside.

Stasiak won't make a final decision on the cause of death until after the results are in from tissue samples that have been sent out for follow-up investigation, and contaminants testing including heavy metals and other contaminants associated with oil and gas development.

It could take between a month to a few months for the test results to be finished.

Apache Canada Ltd. is also interested in the results from the tests.

"It's a very unfortunate incident for us," said Paul Wyke, a spokesperson with the company.

"It certainly concerns us."

Wyke said the company notified the appropriate regulatory agencies after the moose were found and also alerted surrounding First Nations including Acho Dene Koe First Nation.