700-pound moose relocated after roaming into backyard, Colorado officials say

A young 700-pound moose that wandered into a Strasburg backyard has been relocated to the wild, Colorado wildlife officials reported.

“We did not move her due to aggression,” said district wildlife manager Travis Harris in a Colorado Parks and Wildlife news release. “It was based on her location in the town of Strasburg. There is no nearby available water and this is not suitable moose habitat.”

The moose turned up in someone’s backyard on the morning of Monday, Oct. 3, the release said. Wildlife officers also were worried by the imminent start of the school day.

“So for public safety we decided to relocate her,” Harris said, according to the release. The moose, estimated to be 2 to 4 years old, was tranquilized at 10 a.m.

Local firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and state patrol officers helped load the moose into a horse trailer and it was later released into the wild.

“She’ll be much happier in the place where she’s been relocated,” Harris said in the release.

Strasburg is a city of 3,500 about 40 miles east of Denver.

“Remember to give moose plenty of space when recreating outdoors,” the release said. “Moose are more likely to live in areas located near water with an abundance of willows, which is their primary food source.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2022 at 2:08 PM with the headline "700-pound moose relocated after roaming into backyard, Colorado officials say."