“Did anyone else just see the MOOSE running down Irene street???? Too fast for a picture,” wrote Boisean Liz Clabaugh in a neighborhood Facebook group Monday.
Clabaugh was one of dozens who were taken aback seeing a moose on the loose in Boise’s North End. According to posts, the moose spent much of the day May 22 wandering through the Boise neighborhood and becoming the subject of numerous social media posts and an Idaho Department of Fish and Game pursuit.
The moose was first spotted near Shenandoah Drive and Shaw Mountain Road in the East End around 7:15 a.m., according to a news release from Fish and Game. About an hour later, it had made its way north and west through the North End, and sightings began pouring in on social media.
Nearly a dozen other commenters responded to Clabaugh’s post that they had seen the animal, from Kestral Trail in Hulls Gulch to Harrison Boulevard. Other posts showed the animal trotting across the grass at Camel’s Back Park and running past a stop sign at 17th and Dora later in the day.
Moose sightings are rare on city streets, but they make their way into neighborhoods from time to time. Last year, a bull moose was tranquilized and relocated in the Hidden Springs subdivision in Northwest Boise. That was after it was spotted in Eagle. Another was spotted near the busy Eagle Road and State Street intersection. It also was sedated and relocated.
Some commenters noted that Fish and Game was in pursuit. According to the agency, conservation officers and Boise police attempted to sedate the moose while it was bedded down near 27th and Irene streets, but then the moose fled to Camel’s Back Park.
“It was last seen heading away from the urban center, and hopefully it has made its way into the upper Foothills, but if it lingers in a neighborhood where it could pose a public safety hazard, we will do our best to relocate it,” said Brian Pearson, communications manager for Fish and Game’s Southwest Region.
Social media posts about moose sightings tapered off by early evening Monday. Fish and Game said the moose was last seen around Wydemere Drive in the Highlands neighborhood. Officials asked that anyone who sees the moose report the sighting at 208-854-8964.
Fish and Game officials noted that moose can be dangerous and urged the public to keep a safe distance from the animal. The agency also advised keeping dogs leashed and watching for signs of agitation if they encounter the moose, such as flattened ears, raised neck hairs, stomping or grunting.