Two moose lethally removed from highway interchange by Fish and Game in Pocatello

POCATELLO — Two moose were euthanized by officials on Friday morning, after they were reportedly found standing on a median in the middle of a highway interchange.

According to a news release from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, officers lethally removed two moose from the Interstate 15 and Interstate 86 interchange after a report that they were lingering in an “island” of open space.

“In the interest of public safety, both moose — a cow and a bull — were dispatched and removed from the area,” says the release.

Fish and Game says the meat from both of the animals was donated to local families.

“Seeing moose in urban situations like this is nothing new in southeast Idaho,” says the release. “Most of the time, moose either move safely out of the areas on their own or are sometimes captured and relocated by Idaho Fish and Game. In fact, the cow moose in Friday’s situation was bearing an ear tag which indicated she had been moved from the Chubbuck area just last year.”

So, why was the response to these two moose on the interstate a lethal one?

Fish and Game says that due to the location and risk to public safety, and because both moose were lingering in the open triangle of space wedged between two very busy interstates, the moose would have had no choice but to cross lanes of traffic in order to leave that space.

“Additionally, when immobilizing moose or other large game animals, the effects of the sedatives are not immediate,” says the release. “When an animal is first ‘darted’, it will quickly bolt — often running a substantial distance — before it is incapacitated by the sedating effects of the tranquilizer.”

According to the release, due to the proximity of the moose to lanes of traffic on all sides of the triangle in which they were standing, there was a significant risk to public safety if the darted moose aimlessly crossed in front of oncoming motorists.

According to Jennifer Jackson, the Regional Communications Manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Southeast Region, officers were forced to shoot the animals.

Jackson says officers were able to get close enough to get a quick and lethal shot, so the moose died instantly without endangering motorists.

“That was an experience that was not taken lightly, and it was a pretty heavy-hearted experience for our officers,” says Jackson.

Regional Conservation Officer for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Tim Klucken reminds the public to keep an eye out for wildlife on roadways and not to hesitate to call Fish and Game with questions.

“Decisions like this one are not made lightly,” says Regional Conservation Officer Tim Klucken in the release. “None of us enjoys having to take these kinds of actions, but public safety comes first. As sad as it is to have to kill two moose, sadder still would be injuries or loss of human life if a motorist had collided with one of these animals.”