Idaho Fish and Game capture moose on the loose in Rexburg
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REXBURG — A moose caused a bit of excitement in Rexburg Wednesday morning.
“We looked out our window and there was some cops at our cul-de-sac and all of a sudden a moose ran by,” Rexburg resident Linda Deming said. “It was right in our front yard.”
Deming called their neighbors to tell them about the moose. Initially, they thought it was an Aprils Fools joke.
After about an hour and a half of the moose strolling in their yard, Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers arrived to try and relocate the large animal. However, it took off, running around various neighborhoods.
“I’ve seen moose before but it was just funny because I was sitting on my bed looking out the window when I saw a cop car with its lights come into our (apartment) complex,” Rexburg resident Kohl Bingham said. “So I jumped up and looked out and all of a sudden the moose ran right by.”
The Rexburg Police Department worked with conservation officers to track the moose. By 11:30 a.m. Fish and Game had tranquilized the moose behind the Latter-day Saint church building on Park Street. Once sedated, Fish and Game performed health checks and placed a tracking collar around the moose’s neck.
“Moose are large animals and can become aggressive and dangerous when they wander into populated areas,” Fish and Game spokesman James Brower said. “Our primary concern in these situations is human safety followed by the safety of the moose. When a moose comes into town as this one did, it is in the best interest of the public and the moose to relocate the animal to a safe location.”
Brower said they are relocating the moose to the Green Canyon area, about 25 miles east of Rexburg.