A young, wayward moose in Nova Scotia’s Pictou County has found new home, after being tranquillized and transported back to the wild by officers from the Department of Natural Resources.
The two-year-old bull mainland moose was spotted in the Westside, New Glasgow neighbourhood early Wednesday morning.
It’s the same endangered animal that DNR had tried to scare away from the nearby village of Abercrombie on Monday, but with little success.
This time, police and DNR responded in numbers. Streets had to be shut down and recess cancelled at a school.
“He's up in a well populated residential area, people are coming and going,” says DNR officer Dave Steeves. “We have the short perimeter barricaded here, but the possibility for him to move, and move very quickly, is very real.”
Fortunately, the moose didn't seem to be interested in moving very far.
“We cordoned off the areas of the west side of New Glasgow simply as a public safety measure,” says New Glasgow Regional Police Cst. Ken MacDonald. “Schools were kept in for recess and the public was kept back for a safe distance, simply due to the fact of the unpredictability of the animal.”
The first tranquilizer shot by a DNR officer didn't connect and the dart was recovered. The second wasn't a clean shot, but the third was successful.
“Basically what happened is that the moose went into the wooded area and he just laid down and went to sleep,” says Steeves. “So it was a successful retrieval.”
The moose was taken to a large livestock trailer and loaded on the back for transport. His vital signs were checked, and he started to wake up when the door was closed.
Residents say it is unfortunate this had to be done.
“No, they're doing it for the moose,” says Gordon Campbell. “The population isn't really strong so they have to take care of it.”
Steeves says the moose will be released in a wooded, swampy area away from homes. For the safety of the moose, they're not revealing the location.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh
