"Conceivably someone could Taser a moose or bear, go up and get a picture taken with it, shut the (Taser) off and then release the animal," said Larry Lewis, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist in Soldotna who wrote the proposal.
With no regulations on the book to outlaw such an action, "it's ripe for abuse," Lewis said. "What we wanted to do was kind of head off at the pass any non-trained use of this equipment."
Fish and Game staff, law enforcement and others may be authorized to use stun guns on wildlife, but only after going through a training course taught by Lewis, a certified stun gun master instructor, and receiving a permit.
Lewis said about 25 state wildlife biologists have been trained in the use of stun guns on wildlife so far.
Wildlife biologists in Fairbanks recently unsuccessfully used a stun gun on a cow moose in an attempt to stun it so they could remove a rope from its neck. The moose had been roaming a neighborhood since early January after residents rescued it from the Chena River. The animal's long winter coat appears to have prevented the device's prongs from sticking.
Lewis said he has used a stun gun to haze bears and moose on the Kenai Peninsula and it has been effective. He also used the device on a moose so he could remove a chicken feeder stuck on its head.
"I was able to knock it down, remove the feeder, examine the animal for injuries and release it," Lewis said.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recognized the lack of authority to regulate the use of stun guns on wildlife and took Lewis' proposal to the state Game Board, which approved it at a recent meeting in Anchorage, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.
"Restricting the use of (stun guns) will reduce the risk of improper or unethical use on wildlife by the public or other agency personnel who are unfamiliar with the potential effects and hazards," Fish and Game said in a news release.
The measure does not bar Alaskans from using stun guns on moose or bear if being attacked.
Other key actions taken by the Alaska Board of Game:
• Kenai Moose: In an effort to boost the population of bulls, the board put spike-fork moose throughout the Kenai Peninsula off limits. During general season hunts, legal moose will need to have antlers spanning 50 inches or at least four brow tines on one side.
• Non-resident Moose Hunts: Eliminated nonresident bull moose hunts in game management units 15A and 15C on the Kenai.
• Sealing: Hunters will need to have antlers sealed within 10 days for any moose taken in Units 7 and 15.
“We do not believe the additional antler restrictions will be a long-term strategy, but we do believe they are necessary at this time to increase our depressed bull-to-cow ratio,” state area biologist Jeff Selinger said in a press release.
Vehicles have killed an average of 250 moose each winter, Selinger said, and the animal’s habitat has worsened over the last 40 years because firefighters have often tried to quickly dose wildfires that rejuvenate moose habitat.
In another action, deer hunters will need to turn in report cards or file online rather than respond to a deer harvest survey.
“This represents a significant change for Alaska’s deer hunters and unifies policy for all areas of the state where deer harvest occurs,” said Fish and Game’s Mark Burch.
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