Moose found loose at the U released safely back into the wild
(KUTV) — A 2-year-old bull moose was released safely back into the wild after it was found wandering the University of Utah campus on Monday morning.
The moose was spotted just after midnight on Friday, according to a University of Utah Communications report. They monitored the moose's movements throughout the night and called the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to come retrieve the animal.
“I made eye contact with a moose about 20 to 30 yards from me," Jason Taylor, a professor at the U, told university communications staff. "It clearly saw me and I thought, ‘Oh, wow. Stop, turn around and slowly walk back in the other direction.’”
The university later tweeted video of the moose meandering through campus with a reminder to "**Please do no feed the campus wildlife**"
As the sun rose and campus became more populated, police set up a containment around the moose to keep it away from people until the DWR could arrive on scene.
“We thought it was best to tranquilize the moose and relocate it to the Mt. Nebo area,” Scott Root, a DWR public information officer told the U.
Root told the U that during the drier months, people tend to encounter moose because they’re out looking for water. Root says anyone who runs into a moose outside its habitat should keep their distance.
“Try to get something between you and the moose in case it gets aggressive and give DWR a call," Root said.
