SALT LAKE CITY — After two bull moose were spotted near a busy freeway in Parleys Canyon Sunday afternoon, wildlife officers were able to relocate one of them to a safer area.
The pair was in the median of Interstate 80 near Little Dell Reservoir, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
DWR spokeswoman Faith Heaton Jolley said officers were able to tranquilize one of them, but not the other because they were in an area of thick scrub oak.
The sedated moose was then loaded into a horse trailer and transported to a new area.
The second moose was still in the median area as of Sunday evening. Jolley said the area is large, and the vegetation makes it hard to locate the animal and to get close enough to "dart" him.
The Utah Highway Patrol announced that both directions of I-80 were temporarily closed in the area so officers could access the "loose moose."
State troopers are closing I 80 down in both directions of Parleys Canyon. There are two moose loose and as soon as we can and have them tranquilized and transported out of the area the canyon will re-open permanently. Please use caution as you approach our emergency vehicles. pic.twitter.com/08bCsfVPCD
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) January 9, 2022
Jolley added that the DWR will likely work with the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Highway Patrol to relocate the at some point in the future.
The same afternoon, another moose was spotted by drivers in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
#RoadUpdate 👋 evening #SR190 travelers. We’ve gotten reports of moose in the mid-upper canyon this afternoon & a vehicle assist near @SolitudeMTN entry 1. Please drive alert & w/ caution, especially as it gets dark. @BrightonResort @BrightonUT pic.twitter.com/IeG0rw1ZB1
— UDOT Cottonwood Canyons (@UDOTcottonwoods) January 10, 2022
