Bernie Mettler Accident: Retired Deputy Sergeant and Rescue Squad Liaison Officer Bernie Mettler Dies in Tragic ATV Accident
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Bernie Mettler. Bernie served as a deputy sheriff for 25 years, retiring as a patrol sergeant in 2018.
He did a lot of good in that time and throughout his life! We are sharing photos from one call that resulted in international attention for his uniqueness and his outstanding response. Call him the moose whisperer.
Back in 2014, there was a moose on the loose in Aurora. Bernie suspected it had been chased by wolves and was exhausted, and because of the tall fencing around old mine dumps, he couldn’t figure out how to get back to the woods.
It ultimately laid down on the road, creating a potential safety hazard for vehicles as well as the kids at a nearby school. Bernie took it upon himself to coax the moose up and out of town.
He was quoted in an article in the Duluth News Tribune:
“He looked very tired. But I gave him a little help and then he got back up,” Mettler said, downplaying his moose rescue. He compared the moose to a cow stranded on its side, unable to right itself because of its size.
Mettler said he wasn’t too worried that the animal might harm him. And he noted that the moose looked skinny.
“It has been a tough winter for them,’’ he said, lamenting the decline in northern Minnesota moose in recent years. “I used to see a lot more of them. Now, it’s pretty rare.”
Eventually, the officers herded the moose west and out of town, where it headed back north into the woods.
