Kostroma Moose Farm

[layla]

I ... think this is a serious website.

Kostroma Moose Farm (The farm's in Russia; the site's in English, though there is also a Russian version.)

Some choice quotes:

"...established in 1966, this farm remains the most stable moose milk provisioner in Russia..."

"When the USSR decided to become worldwide, in the 1930s, war-moose were expected to solve the problem of deep snow cross-country cavalry passability."
(While those are not two words that I ever expected to see joined together, I love the existence of war-moose. LOVE it.)

[from page of instructions for tourists to the moose farm] "Do not run, do not cry, do not try to pick up dropped sweets... and be patient with a soft warm tender moose."

Discussing the problems with controlling free-range moose, which die if they're penned up; apparently it was suggested "... to implant a microreceiver (several thousand dollars) into animals' brains and then control their movements through a global satellite system ..."

I really can't imagine why the USSR collapsed ...

All joking aside, though, it's actually quite fascinating to me to consider -- assuming the site is real, and it does appear to be -- that moose are actually pretty easy to tame. They're just difficult to maintain in captivity, and they aren't herd animals in the same way that, say, reindeer are, which makes them a lot less useful as domesticated livestock than animals that exhibit herding behavior.

However, I have GOT to use this in a story sometime...

Comments

War Mooses and Riding Mooses in literature

[geoolive22.livejournal.com]

I recall a couple of books by Sterling Lanier from the 1980's. The hero, named Hiero, was sort of a post-Apocalyptical hero who rode a fighting moose. This is not a comedy - actually a pretty good read. Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Hieros-Journey-Sterling-E-Lanier/dp/0345308417/ref=sr_1_1/002-3209197-3694451?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1173023565&sr=1-1

Re: War Mooses and Riding Mooses in literature

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

Actually, I have read that book (books?), probably in my teens when I was reading every SF book I could get my hands on. (Different from now only in that I had way more free time and therefore didn't have to be as choosey.) I don't remember how the book was; I just remember the moose and the fact that the hero's name was Hiero, which cracked me up.

It was the obvious northwoods setting on the cover that made me pick up the book in the first place; as a teen I was really starved for that sort of thing, since I was of course living in Alaska and it was so rare to get SF that had anything to do with the Arctic.

[julieqyrup.livejournal.com]

It was kind of a have-to situation - no, I didn’t get fired - my boss more or less retired to do something else so I had to by default.

It's a Monty Python thing ...

[allanh.livejournal.com]

Including the majestic møøse

A Møøse once bit my sister ...

No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink".

Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretty nasti...

Re: It's a Monty Python thing ...

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

*cracks up*

[vogelein.livejournal.com]

Um, you *have* heard about this (http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/02/cyborg_pigeons_.html), right? Because, seriously, it's not that far of a stretch from pigeon-brains to moose-brains. Just sayin'.

Remote controlled, GPS-tracked, bomb-carrying War-Møøsen: the future of modern combat.

[laylalawlor.livejournal.com]

How are you people doing those cool Scandinavian O's, anyway?

[vogelein.livejournal.com]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/05/moose.v.helo.ap/index.html

AAA! THE ATTACKS BEGIN NOW!

As for the crazy-o's, I was just cutting and pasting. Allanh is the man with the plan.