SUAMICO, WI (WTAQ) – Officials with the NEW Zoo say a moose which recently returned home has died.
According to a release, Finnegan the moose died on Tuesday. Officials say Finnegan apparently died in his favorite resting spot in the exhibit.
Born at the NEW Zoo in 2008, Finnegan was sent to the Milwaukee County Zoo when he was 4-months-old to spend time with his grandfather. He returned to the NEW Zoo last month, when officials said they hoped Finnegan would be a good match for the zoo’s female moose which had been transferred from North Dakota.
Finnegan was 8 1/2-years-old and for several years had been treated for chronic dental and respiratory problems. NEW Zoo officials say he also was underweight for most of his adult life and had undersized antlers.
Officials, however, say Finnegan adjusted well to the move from Milwaukee and was eating and behaving normally. They indicate he showed no signs of illness or distress earlier on the day he died.
A necropsy – a procedure similar to an autopsy that is done on animals – was performed and the zoo is waiting for test results to possibly shed more light on how he died.
