Recent letters regarding plans to remove moose from the Anchorage area show plenty of empathy for moose, but seem lacking in the ability to imagine the terror that a human feels during a moose attack.

Last summer, my 11-year-old daughter was attacked by a moose. Writers speak about the negative effects that trauma, physical stress and anesthesia have on a moose when moved. Do they believe that the trauma to a moose is greater than what my daughter felt as she lay face down in the dirt believing she was about to die? Is the physical stress to a moose more demanding than the stitches, plating and permanent scars my daughter has endured? Is anesthesia for a moose more dangerous than the anesthesia my daughter underwent during surgery to repair her broken bone? Does anyone believe that the life of a moose is worth more than the life of a child, or a motorist or a jogger?

People have died, there is a man walking around with a titanium plate in his face, my daughter and another young boy learned way too young the frailty of life. How much more does it take to see that this problem needs to be addressed? The Alaska Moose Federation is trying to find alternatives to hold down the Anchorage moose population other than with the hood of a car. Please ask your legislator to support SB 329.

-- Maggie Strobbe / Anchorage