Wildlife Officials Capture Moose In Broomfield
BROOMFIELD, Colo. (CBS4) - For the second time in four days a moose found its way into a Broomfield neighborhood.
Wildlife officials monitored the 600 pound animal and eventually tranquilized it, but it wasn't an easy process.
Several people came out to look at the 2-year-old animal after it was first spotted at 7 a.m. near Highway 287 and Laurel. Officials were cautioning people not to come near the animal, but plenty of people still saw it.
"I've gone to Yellowstone and up to Steamboat and I've never gotten to see a live moose up close," Diane Andreason told CBS4. "He walked right past me."
The moose finally got into a position where officials could shoot it with a tranquilizer dart. It then took off through a neighborhood, past Emerald Elementary School and another school and through a pasture. Finally he was too woozy to go any further and officials cornered him, covered his eyes and gave water to rehydrate. Then they loaded him on a trailer.
"Once the animal gets nervous and is full of adrenalyn it's really hard to tranquilize them because their blood is pumping and the drugs don't have the same effect," said Jennifer Churchill, Department of Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman. "It's not a simple procedure. It's not like someone's going to stand there and get a shot from a doctor. You're talking about a wild animal who really wants to escape and stay away from humans."
The plan is for the moose to get checked out by veterinarian and then relocated 60 miles west of the Denver metro area.
Last Friday a moose also was spotted in Broomfield but it left the area without any incident. It's not clear if that was the same moose as this one.
