Moose tranquilized after wandering Halifax streets

CTV Atlantic: Moose on the loose A bull moose has been tranquilized after it spent most of Thursday morning wandering the Fairview area of Halifax.

A young bull moose toured the Fairview area of Halifax Thursday morning, causing both excitement and concern.

It was first spotted on Highway 102 and in the area of Dutch Village Road and Joseph Howe Drive around 5:15 a.m.

The two-and-a-half-year-old animal spent time dodging people and traffic.

Police warned residents to stay away, but many were overcome by curiosity.

“I’ve never seen a moose,” one resident told CTV News. “I’ve always wanted to see a moose. I’m just curious where it came from.”

“It's really exciting, you don't see anything like this in Halifax,” said another.

The animal was finally corralled in the backyard of a seniors’ home.

"The moose walked down the driveway like he owned it,” said maintenance manager George Shute.

“I was throwing out garbage and he came straight and walked right into our backyard, where we were able to contain him."

Seniors were evacuated from the back of the home. Staff covered windows with sheets in order to keep the animal from being spooked by seeing people inside and to keep it from being tempted to jump through the window.

Staff with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources arrived mid-morning with a tranquilizer gun to sedate the frightened 500-pound animal.

The moose was hit with one dart with a shot taken from the roof of the seniors’ home. He became wobbly and passed-out and then was loaded, snoring, into a truck to wake up in a greener, more familiar kind of place.

Moose sightings in urban areas are relatively common in other Maritime cities, but not in Halifax.

“In my 25 years, this is only the second time I remember a moose in the city,” says Staff Sgt. Bill Morris of the Halifax Regional Police.

The animal garnered plenty of attention on Twitter, where a profile titled @TheHRMMoose popped up mid-morning.

“Can’t a Moose come to the city and look for a job in peace?” said one tweet.

“It’s hard to run from the man and tweet at the same time,” said another.

The Halifax Mooseheads also seized the opportunity for a little self-promotion the day before the team’s home opener.

“A moose is wandering the streets in the Fairview area,” said one tweet from the team. “If you see him, please give him directions to the Metro Centre.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw