Moose Wars

Here at ground zero of the Norway/Canada "Who Has the Bigger Moose" spat there is key information pertinent to the discussion. First some background...

A New Day original painting by Yvette Moore

Mac went up in 1984 on the Trans Canada highway just north of town. Moose Jaw citizens, not the most flamboyant people at the best of times, thought he was alright, although there was much discussion about the legs.  The artist, Don Foulds, had got them all wrong -- they were too thick, there was no articulation, etc.

For 20 years, Mac stood there, looking east.  He didn't weather well.  Cracks were beginning to show and youths routinely painted his testicles in neon colours. The disrespect was noted and Mac was moved to a new location, patched and painted and installed with an iron fence around him to discourage vandals. 15 Wing Moose Jaw, home of the Snowbirds, donated one of their Tutor jets to stand by Mac.  On a sunny day, this is one of the best photo ops in all the land -- a moose and a Snowbird, how Canadian can you get?

And then the Norwegians deliberately fabricated their fancy, stylized elg 30 centimeters taller than Mac and edited Wikipedia to state that they had the largest moose statue in the world.

Moose Javians are riled, in a nice sort of way.  We admit that the Norwegian moose is a beauty:  the lustre of the chrome finish and the rippling physique, to say nothing about its shapely legs, would make anyone stop to take a picture.  The elg looks like it's been made of quicksilver -- Mac looks like he was made from cookie dough.

An enterprising group of citizens wants the title of world's tallest moose to remain in Moose Jaw and donations are pouring in for cosmetic surgery.  This is about more than big mascots.  We are the people of the moose.

Anyone who's done any driving around the prairies or Ontario has seen a moose or two loping along the road. Barb and Randy Roman were working in the yard at their home in Sunningdale, a modern subdivision with graceful crescents and well-tended lawns not too far from where Mac the Moose stands. Randy looked up when he heard furious clopping and saw a large cow-moose charging towards him. 

"It was frothing at the mouth, it was so panicky," says Randy. "I don't know how it got onto our street.  Maybe from the green-cut near the school."

Randy called to warn Barb. "I thought it was going to come into the garage," says Barb.  "It was looking for a way to get off the road."

The moose cut over their lawn and veered down the street, towards heavier traffic leaving the Romans with a story but no picture.  "It all happened so quickly, I couldn't get my camera out," says Randy.

Lucky for them, there's a photogenic moose in town who will let them take as many pictures as they want.  Thanks Mac!

And thanks to the many Moose Jaw residents and businesses who are putting up money to improove our moose and retain the title. Moose Jaw Ford, Yvette Moore and Mayor Fraser Tolmie are doing a great job. Antlers up!

https://ca.gofundme.com/mac-the-moose