Fish and Wildlife officers responded to calls about a moose that had made itself comfortable between two houses in Cochrane, northwest of Calgary, on Sunday morning, eventually tranquilizing it and hauling it to a forested area northwest of town for release.
Fish and Wildlife had been receiving reports about the cow moose for the last two months, including reports before Christmas that the animal had charged people and dogs. They were hoping the animal would return to the river and leave town the way it came, but instead it moved farther north into residential areas.
When it started moving deeper into the residential areas, the officers decided to take some remedial action.
Henrik Boesch started the wildlife educational group Wildlife Coexistence Cochrane a few months ago. He witnessed the entire encounter.
“It was in a good spot for them to tranquilize the animal...right in between two houses in the front yard, just a few feet away from front doors,” said Henrik Boesch.
Boesch was impressed with the professionalism of the officers. He said they did all the right things.
“The animal got darted, the medication worked well and it quickly laid down in the driveway of a house. Officers worked quickly and efficiently to make sure the animal didn't have any issues due to cold weather. keeping the head help up so the tongue wouldn't freeze to the driveway.”
The approximately 500 lb animal was placed on a transport platform, covered in a blanket, eyes covered to keep it calm, secured and pulled on a pickup truck with a winch.
Residents came out and got to see the officers work who gave them the opportunity to have a closer look at the animal and get some images of it.
“It was then transported to a piece of crown land northwest of town were officers unloaded it from the truck and monitored it waking up and moving safely around before it left into the trees,” Boesch said.
Boesch said there were reports of kids harassing the animal. And where it had settled down was between two houses, so if someone came outside and was unaware of the situation, there was a possibility the moose would have felt trapped.
He said the incident serves as a timely reminder for people to keep dogs on leash outside of off leash areas, and that they should be prepared to encounter different wildlife in town any time.
“People should also give wildlife space and not approach for images with cellphones, especially moose, which pose a huge potential risk when feeling threatened and defending themselves,” he said.
Boesch said he talks to a lot of people who say they want to see wildlife in town, but they would change their tune in a hurry if a dog or a child were trampled by a 500-lb wild animal, asking why officials hadn’t done something earlier.
Residents should report sightings of moose in residential neighbourhoods, especially when people are harassing it or the animal has charged people and dogs. This allows Fish and Wildlife to monitor and assess the situation and try to find ways to deal with the problem that don't require relocations.
Reports can be made to the Report A Poacher hotline 24/7 at 1-800-642-3800.
