Moose falls into basement of Hailey home
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HAILEY — It was a wild morning for a Hailey family when they walked into their basement Sunday and discovered a moose staring at them.
The female animal had fallen into a 3-foot deep window well and made her way into the home, according to Lt. Steve England of the Hailey Police Department.
“The window opened like a door and the latch was loose,” England tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The moose pushed her way through and, amazingly enough, the window didn’t even break.”
A family member called the Hailey Police Department and officers, along with Blaine County Sheriff deputies and Idaho Fish and Game officers, went to the home.
“They put some furniture and mattresses around the room to kind of keep the moose enclosed in one area of the basement,” England says. “Fortunately she wasn’t hurt and remained pretty calm.”
By the time Fish and Game officers arrived, the moose had been in the basement nearly two hours. The animal was tranquilized and then all of the officers helped carry it up the stairs and out the front door.
“Fish and Game then woke her up and it went on its way,” England says.
England declined to release the address of the home, but says it’s in the Della View subdivision near the Big Wood River. Wildlife are often spotted in the area, especially over the past few weeks.
“We’ve had a lot of wildlife this winter, because of the heavy snowfall,” England says.
The moose caused minimal damage to the home, but created a lifetime of memories.
“The family will be telling this story for years,” England says.