Large moose got trapped by fast-flowing river — so Utah neighbors helped save the day
A young moose was trapped in a steep canyon by a deep, fast-flowing river in Utah with traffic on one side and no escape on the other.
With the help of nearby neighbors and highway patrol, a team of wildlife officials dragged the moose through deep snow up a treacherous slope in Ogden Canyon within the Wasatch Range, officials with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said in an April 18 post on Facebook.
The moose couldn’t get across the fast-moving high waters of the Ogden River to the north side of the mountain, and the south side was way too steep for the moose to climb, officials said in the post.
The moose’s precarious position posed a risk not only to the moose but to drivers along the canyon as well, officials said in the post.
“We were luckily able to tranquilize the moose, and form a team to get the 600-pound animal through deep snow and up a steep slope,” officials said in the post. “Thanks to all who helped us: the homeowner who brought his skid steer across the road and plowed a pathway for us; homeowners who helped us carry the heavy animal up the slope; and officers with the Utah Highway Patrol who stopped traffic so the work could take place safely. A special thanks to motorists who waited patiently in the canyon while the operation happened.”
Photos show the huge moose being dragged through the snow on what looks like a tarp or blanket as the team steadies her. The drugged animal is also shown lying down in a wildlife trailer with wide eyes and her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth — which of course drew jokes from Facebook users.
“I had the same look on my face last time I got black out drunk and didn’t know where I was,” someone joked.
“I want whatever that moose had,” someone else said.
“After we got her up the slope, we transported the moose to the Hardware Wildlife Management Area and released (her) into her new home!” officials said in the post.
Ogden Canyon is about 35 miles north of Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published April 19, 2023 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Large moose got trapped by fast-flowing river — so Utah neighbors helped save the day."
