Vt. moose, who became cause celebre in battle for life, gets reprieve _ and shot at fatherhood

Targeted for death, Vt. moose gets a reprieve

IRASBURG, Vt. — Pete the Moose, who became a cause celebre after the state of Vermont ordered him removed from a game preserve or euthanized, is getting a reprieve.

Raised by a farmer after being attacked by dogs and abandoned as a calf, the 2-year-old bull moose will be allowed to stay on the preserve near the U.S.-Canada border under a compromise fashioned by state lawmakers in the waning hours of last week’s session.

The turnabout came after the moose’s tale of woe went viral, prompting a “Save Pete the Moose” website, a Facebook page, about 10,000 YouTube views and a rally at Vermont’s statehouse.

Pete has a new lease on life now — two of them, in fact. Patty, a female moose who was keeping companions with him last fall, is due any day now with a calf believed to be his.