After weeks of conflict surrounding the record for the biggest moose statue in the world, a ‘Moose Truce’ came to fruition on Saturday at what’s being called a Moose Summit.
Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmie met with the Deputy Mayor of Stor-Elvdal, Norway, Linda Henriksen, to discuss the friendly rivalry that developed after the Norweigan town took the crown for the world’s largest Moose statue. The pair finally came to a compromise after the lengthy moose melee.
“We would like to have the biggest moose but there is nothing we can do with our moose because it is a piece of art,” said Henriksen. “Canada might have the biggest moose in the future and we’re totally fine with that.”
Moose Jaw has already started the process of getting a new rack for Mac, to try and reclaim the title of world’s biggest moose.
“We are having an engineer look at Mac. We have to look at his lifespan and we have to make sure what we do is feasible and structurally sound,” said Tolmie.
The city has raised almost $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign and other contributions, and Mayor Tolmie assured that no tax dollars would be used to increase Mac’s height. Although Moose Jaw will likely reclaim the moose mantle, the pair agrees that the attention from the international dispute has been beneficial for both communities.
“It’s gone viral and people know about the City of Moose Jaw, but from that people are learning about Stor-Elvdal,” said Tolmie.
“When I say I’m from Stor-Elvdal not everyone knows where that is, even Norweigans, so this has really put us on the map,” said Henriksen.
The two communities feel that they have come to a reasonable compromise to try and settle the moose feud for now.
“We hold strong. They can have the prettiest, we can have the tallest,” said Tolmie.
Based on a report by Stefanie Davis
