Millie the moose had become something of a celebrity in Belgrade since she was first spotted in June. She died Saturday and some took to social media to complain that a motorboat had struck her, resulting in her death. The state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said a preliminary investigation based on witness reports revealed that a boat traveling the legal speed limit passed Millie, but an examination of her body didn’t reveal any signs of trauma or damage. People who had seen Millie had commented on social media that she appeared to be sick. Photo courtesy of Dan McCarron
BELGRADE — Millie the moose was the talk of the town when she first appeared in June, trudging along Great Pond and other waterways.
The chatter really ramped up when she died last weekend, with some claiming a wayward motorboat struck Millie in Mill Stream, causing her death.
The state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife is investigating the matter and game wardens have interviewed several witnesses.
One of the first accounts of Millie appearing in town was by Dan McCarron, the owner of Lakepoint Real Estate who said she was seen wandering about his parking lot. He said after a few days and two visits from game wardens, she relocated to the stream.
She munched on pond weeds and McCarron said he called her Millie, a reference to milfoil plants. More and more people who came across Millie posted photos of her to Facebook and other social platforms. Several had commented how she didn’t look well, with sluggish behavior and patches of fur missing.
Some shared that they had seen the motorboat strike Millie on Saturday in Mill Stream.
“On Saturday it was reported that the moose had spent the entire day standing near a point without moving, then later moved into the Mill Stream,” Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesman Mark Latti said in an email. “It was reported to the Maine Warden Service that a boat that was traveling in the stream area struck a moose on Saturday afternoon.”
He later explained, “Witnesses reported seeing the boat and the moose in the same immediate area as the boat traveled through. At some point after the boat went by the moose, the moose died.”
Witnesses told wardens the boat was traveling the legal speed limit, Latti said. The stream is about 75 to 100 yards wide in that area but the boat channel is much narrower, he said.
Millie was born in spring 2021 and likely weighed between 500 and 600 pounds, he said.
Game wardens removed her body from the water on Sunday and an examination “showed no apparent injuries, as there was no sign of broken bones, no cuts or deep scars, and no other signs of trauma,” he said.
The 7 Lakes Alliance, a conservation group serving the Belgrade Lakes region, said in a statement that it’s “saddened to hear the moose that recently was a frequent visitor to the Mill Stream that connects Great Pond and Long Pond died this past weekend.”
Waterville resident Nate Timmins has a camp on Great Pond. He said he passed through the stream on Saturday around 2:30 p.m. and saw Millie standing and took some pictures of her.
When he returned around 6 p.m., Millie was about 10 to 15 yards from where she was before, but was mostly underwater, he said. At first he thought what he was seeing was a rock, but then noticed her ear.
“She was floating so low,” Timmins said. “A boater could have easily hit her when she was already dead.”
Latti said the investigation is ongoing.
“The Maine Warden Service reminds everyone who loves wildlife to enjoy wildlife from a distance,” he said.
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