ABBOT (AP) – The reek of a dead moose within 200 yards of her doorway has forced a 61-year-old woman in this Piscataquis County town to remain indoors with the windows shut in the summer heat and humidity.

Joan Clark said she has been trying without success to get law enforcement or environmental officials to remove the carcass from Kingsbury Stream in front of her property.

Clark said the big animal’s head and legs are in the water, but its swollen belly is above the surface, attracting ravens and turkey vultures.

“This is a very, very large moose, and it smells bad,” Clark said. “It’s bad enough not to be outdoors, but you don’t want your doors or windows opened either.”

Clark said the moose had been sick and later died, but the death didn’t occur near her property. The animal was found in the water with a rope around its neck, leading her to suspect that someone else managed to get the carcass into the river, where it floated until it got snagged on rocks near her property.

Maj. Greg Sanborn of the Maine Warden Service said it is not standard practice for his department to move dead animals unless they are a threat to road safety or pose a health hazard by polluting drinking water.

Clark said she regards the moose as a health threat because she draws water from the river for her laundry, dishes and shower.

Sanborn suggests that Clark pour a 50-pound bag of lime over the carcass to neutralize the decaying animal’s odor.

Clark was skeptical of that proposed solution.

“I don’t know that that’s my job,” she said. “At any rate, carrying a 50-pound bag of lime across the river at my age is out of the question.”