| Place a Classified | Subscribe today | July 10, 2009 |
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Moose on the loose
POCATELLO — A young bull moose with an apparent flair for shopping was subdued and transported to a more pastoral setting Tuesday morning by Fish and Game officers.
Corey Class, a regional wildlife biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said the yearling moose was first spotted near Linden Avenue in Chubbuck by a local resident at about 3 a.m. The intrepid ungulate then reportedly headed south through the Motel 6 parking lot, crossed Interstate 86 and ended up lounging near the Pine Ridge Mall and other nearby commercial centers. “They must have had a special at Kmart,” Class quipped.
Officers reportedly tracked the moose down near Quinn Road at about 8:30 a.m. and were forced to shoot the animal with a tranquilizer gun. The moose was then transported and released in the Mink Creek area, Class said. The incident marked the second time this year a moose had been reported wandering Gate City streets. Another young bull moose was transported out of city limits on Easter Sunday.
Class said it’s not atypical to have young moose — which are abundant in the mountains around Pocatello — descend to lower elevations during spring months when their mothers force them to find food on their own. “This valley looks pretty green and pretty nice,” Class said.
Male moose typically weigh between 1,200 and 1,600 pounds and Class said resource officers prefer not to have to tranquilize the gangly animals. “If we can get them out through hazing we’ll do it, but when they get in the middle of town like this one did it’s tough to push them out,” he said.
Class said the moose transported Tuesday appeared to be in good health upon release. “(The moose) didn’t want to head back to town,” he said. “He took off running. It’s fairly traumatic for them.”
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