Mac the Moose underwent his “antler-ectomy” on June 5, shedding the antlers of his youth to make room for a new adult set — although, much like the adolescent moose of the wild, Mac’s going to have to wait a while before those new antlers come in.
Tourism Moose Jaw executive director Jacki L’Heureux-Mason hopes that Mac is alright spending the summer sans antlers, to give Team Mac a chance to really get his new set put together properly.
“We want to give Rion [White], at Orion Taxidermy, enough time to work with the 3D rendering artists, graphic designers, from Sask Polytech,” said L-Heurerux-Mason.
Rion White from Orion Taxidermy and Brysen Bert from Steady Metalworks were the two lucky enough to saw away at Mac’s antlers, cutting through layers of cement, scrap metal, rebar, and meshing.
It’s a title that no one else can claim to have, which the two acknowledged when they stopped to take a selfie with the second antler, dangling from a crane arm.
“Everybody said, ‘do they know what they're doing?’ I said, ‘well, they're professionals, but the moose 'antler-ectomy' class was full today, so there's just no guidelines,’” said L’Heureux-Mason. “They did just a great job, going blindly, really.”
If the plan stays on track, Mac should get his new antlers put on by mid-September. This means there will be a few months this summer to get photos of Mac with no antlers at all — an exclusive opportunity that may never come again.
The old antlers aren’t up for grabs; Mac’s sheds are set to be mounted and displayed, as a nod to the way that this predicament brought the community together.
“It became very obvious to us early on that we wanted to commemorate this community gathering,” said L’Heureux-Mason. “We're going to have to have information on everybody who participated in this, either in spirit with the estate or with their physical capabilities.”
After 35 years standing guard of the city with his “baby antlers,” L’Heureux-Mason hopes to see Mac spend another 35 years doing the same with his “adult antlers.”
“It's hard not to feel incredibly emotional about today,” said L’Heureux-Mason. “It's been a short journey really, but it's been an intense one. This whole ride has been just wild.”
@RealMacTheMoose has his “antler-ectomy” underway, one antler down! Welcome to puberty, Mac 👍🏻 @tourismMooseJaw @MooseJawToday pic.twitter.com/mQens1prcS
— Larissa Kurz (@larissagkurz) June 5, 2019
