Officials euthanize moose seen strolling through Fredericton over concerns of possible collision

A young moose that made its way through the Fredericton Tuesday had to be euthanized, according to the province’s Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development.

Some people caught a moose on camera strolling through certain neighbourhoods earlier in the day. The department later received a call Tuesday evening that the moose was in a high traffic area on the city’s southside.

“Staff and City Police lead the moose to a forested area in the Bishop Drive area but unfortunately the moose returned to the street/highway and had to be euthanized, due to the concern for a potential collision with vehicles on the highway,” a department spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Security video from a car dealership near the Smythe Street roundabout shows several Fredericton police vehicles, with their lights on, slowly following the moose through the roundabout.

“I was pretty amazed, I had to come outside and watch it because it’s not something you see — a moose walking up the road — every day,” said Skylar Constable, who saw the moose while on shift at a local business in the area.

Officials said moose “generally try to avoid confrontations with people,” but it’s not uncommon for a young moose to find themselves in city limits after being pushed away by their pregnant mothers in the spring.

University of New Brunswick professor in wildlife ecology Graham Forbes said the moose appeared to be young, likely a one-year-old yearling.

“The females that are carrying their young, they don't have the ability to also look after last year's calf, which is now a yearling. So they start getting aggressive towards them. And scare them away,” he said. “The mothers do this this time of year, and so you get these young moose that are now looking for a new place. And that's just by bad luck, they've taken a turn into a place they don't really want to be in or live in.”

After looking at some video taken by onlookers, Forbes said he didn’t feel the moose was suffering from brainworm – a parasite that can cause deer or moose to exhibit peculiar behaviour.

It’s not uncommon to see a moose make its way into the city, he said, noting Fredericton likely sees one every couple of years.

It’s a good reminder for the public not to get too close.

“They might be scared and could act erratically. And they've got long legs and they can kick hard. So never try to touch or push it along or anything like that,” he said. “It's a large animal that weighs hundreds and hundreds of pounds and therefore could cause serious damage to your vehicle or to yourself.”

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