Muffaloose

This is the tale, as recalled by Ib Kristensen, of the discovery of the legendary Muffaloose. The Muffaloose became the mascot for the Town of Fort Smith.

 This incredible story begins during the winter of 1971-72, when a Muffaloose was shot for the first time. The story was at first suppressed, but some folks in our community obtained enough valuable details to help to throw light on this most unusual animal.

It was the Great Squirrel-Hunter, Archie Larocque, who bagged the Muffaloose that winter. The animal was so named by the few people who saw the remains when it was flown to the Fort Smith Airport by 'Steamer Stan' Edkins, the well-known bush pilot. Larocque had known about these strange, shy animals for some time, but they are very hard to track. Parks Canada confiscated the carcass before it could be seen by the masses, and to this day no one knows what happened to it.

The question most people ask is, “How did this happen? How could a moose and a buffalo mate?”

Well, friends, it seems that during the great forest fires in Wood Buffalo National Park in the late 1960s and early 1970s, forest firefighters used a fire retardant that was spread from the air over the burning forest. Apparently, the material they used acted as a fertilizer and wreaked havoc with the vegetation on which the moose and the buffalo pastured.

Larocque, who is the only person known to have frequented the area other than Parks Canada representatives, tells stories about how the fire retardant caused a rapid growth in some of the area foliage: the mosses, the grasses, and the trees. “It altered the growth of the trees, making them very wide at the bottom and narrow at the top,” he says. It also did something to the animals, making them uncharacteristically frisky. Although Parks Canada said it was impossible, the moose and the buffalo evidently bred. The proof was brought into Fort Smith late in the winter of 1972.

The bagged Muffaloose is estimated to be a three-year-old bull, and Larocque says that although they are very shy, these animals are very amiable. Larocque is credited with bringing the mounted head of the specimen into the Town of Fort Smith's possession. The Town was reluctant to show it at first, but as Parks Canada refused to acknowledge this ecological phenomenon, the Town felt it was best to showcase the trophy to all who want to see it. It now hangs in the lobby of the Recreation and Community Centre.

Larocque doesn't go back to that area of the Park these days, but the rumours of sightings of a strange-looking animal persist. These whispered reports are mainly from truckers, travelling the long, lonely road through the Park at night. Of course, Parks Canada denies it.

But we know they exist, so if you are lucky enough to see one of these shy but amiable Muffaloose, please share news of your discovery.