Moose on the loose in Pocatello tranquilized and relocated
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POCATELLO — After a warning was sent out by local police earlier this week about a moose roaming around a neighborhood, the animal was safely relocated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
The advisory sent out by the Pocatello Police Department on Tuesday said there were several reports of a moose hanging around the Churchill Downs neighborhood and surrounding area. Police had asked people if they came across the moose, to not approach the animal.
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Fish and Game spokeswoman Jennifer Jackson told EastIdahoNews.com on Thursday the cow moose had been seen multiple times over the last couple of weeks. The first time she was seen was on the campus of Grace Lutheran School on Dec. 9.
“(We) kept an eye on her, and she seemed to be moving out of the area, and we weren’t too concerned,” Jackson said.
However, the moose began to show up again periodically and then continued to hang out in nearby neighborhoods by the school. Jackson said considering that section of town is on the fringe of the urban-wildland interface, it’s not uncommon for moose or other animals that come into town to work their way back up into the hills.
On Tuesday of this week, reports of the moose in the Churchill Downs neighborhood came in. The neighborhood is immediately north of Grace Lutheran School. Jackson said the cow moose was tranquilized while she was on Bannock County Event Center property just south of the Portneuf Wellness Complex.
“Because of our concerns with proximity to schools, to interstates, to roadways and neighborhoods and just the interest of her safety and the interest of public safety, we made the decision to dart her,” Jackson said. “It went really smoothly.”
Jackson provided a picture to EastIdahoNews.com showing the moose in the water near two Fish and Game officers. In the picture, staff monitored the adult cow moose after she was darted. Once she was immobile, she was moved to a trailer and transported to a more remote location.