He Sheds Antlers--Then Sheds Her : Moose to Jessica: Not Now, Brown Cow

The lovesick moose that spent 76 days wooing a brown and white cow named Jessica has walked away from the relationship.

“It looks like he’s hit the road,” said Donald Gallus, a Vermont game warden who closely watched the hillside love affair. “It appears he is leaving, going home.”

The 700-pound moose showed up at Larry Carrara’s farm last year during mating season and took a shine to Jessica the Hereford.

He was last seen at the farm Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, the moose was on the loose about a mile from the farm. He has not been spotted since.

The moose’s departure, wildlife biologists said, was apparently triggered by the loss of his antlers Wednesday. Bull moose lose their antlers every winter and grow them again in the spring and summer.

Gallus said that once a moose loses his antlers, he loses his defenses--and sexual urges.

The moose’s devotion to Jessica beguiled the nation. More than 75,000 people went to Carrara’s remote farm to get a glimpse of the odd couple.

At first, wildlife experts predicted that the moose would stay a day or two. Then, they thought the romance would last a week or up to a month. In November, experts stopped predicting.

Biologists said it is impossible for a moose and a cow to produce an offspring, but the moose nevertheless closely shadowed Jessica, often nuzzling her and making certain she got her share of food.

Jessica has 10 cows for company in her field but today she appeared a little lost without her moose, Lila Carrara said.

“I think she was out there looking this morning, looking for him. She acted like she was a little lonesome, looking away,” she said.

The Carraras also are taking the moose’s departure hard.

“We had a pretty sad night last night. It was 76 days we had him with us,” she said. “We got very attached to him, we really did.”