Moose Who 'Regularly' Wanders Into Colorado Parking Garage Gets Relocated to the Wilderness

moose
moose

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

There's no longer a loose moose in Colorado's Lionshead Village.

A young bull moose who wildlife officials say can be "pretty regularly" found wandering inside a Vail parking garage has been relocated for both his safety and the well-being of people in the area.

The mammal, estimated to be between 2 and 3 years old and 750 lbs., was tranquilized and removed from the parking structure on Tuesday morning after he continued to show up at the building, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Wildlife officials said that this particular moose began frequenting the parking garage 10 days ago to lick its walls, presumably to get a taste of the de-icing agents used on the structure's upper floors.

moose
moose

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

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"He was pretty regularly coming into the parking structure first thing in the morning and then would kind of clear out before it got too busy," Devin Duval, an officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said in a statement. "This is the primary parking place for the folks accessing Lionshead Village as well as the Vail Health hospital."

Though wildlife officials tried to keep the moose away from the garage by removing any residual salts off the pavement, he remained and started spending a majority of the day there, according to the department.

The department decided to take a more hands-on approach to relocate the animal after he "was not electing to spend time elsewhere," Duval said.

moose
moose

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

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The relocation operation "went smoothly" with "no issues," according to Duval, who said that the moose will be moved to a remote area outside of Craig — a town more than 110 miles away from the garage in Vail — after wildlife officials there needed "help with some translocation."

"We were definitely within that human health and safety realm where there could potentially be an injury to a human or the animal," Duval said. "That is the reason we decided to move it."