85-year-old uses shovel to fight off moose attacking husband

The Journal Gazette, 600 W. Main St., Fort Wayne IN

90°

Local weather

National Weather Service

Mobile |

RSS

Search archive

You choose, we deliver

If you are interested in this story, you might be interested in others from The Journal Gazette. Go to www.journalgazette.net/newsletter and pick the subjects you care most about. We'll deliver your customized daily news report at 3 a.m. Fort Wayne time, right to your email.

Worth a click

Muggers mistake Bible for purse
ARMAGH, Pa. – Police say two western Pennsylvania men mistook an elderly woman’s Bible carrying case for a purse when they tried to snatch it from her, knocking her to the ground.Thursday
Raw video: Tornado touches down during wedding
… and the reception will be in the basement? The nuptials continue as the video camera pans over to see a twister dip to the ground and linger. Finally, the bride and groom walk around the corner of the barn to see what everyone is looking at.Wednesday
Video: Child locked in running washing machine
A father's prank turned into a panic when the automatic door lock engages and the machine started to spin, with no way to turn it off.Tuesday

Associated Press

Dorothea Taylor describes her effort to stop a moose that was stomping her husband, George Murphy.

Last updated: January 23, 2012 5:27 p.m.

85-year-old uses shovel to fight off moose attacking husband

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An 85-year-old Alaska woman used a grain shovel to fend off an agitated moose that was stomping her husband.

George Murphy says his wife saved his life.

The Anchorage Daily News (http://bit.ly/yahDtF) said the 82-year-old pilot, who flew for three decades for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, was hiking with his golden retrievers near the Willow airport on Friday. He saw the moose and dove in the snow, but the moose started stomping him.

His wife, Dorothea, who is 5 feet tall and weighs 97 pounds, grabbed a big shovel and hit the moose in the body and head.

She ran for help, and Murphy was rushed by medical helicopter to an Anchorage hospital, where he was in good condition Monday with a gash to his head.