A young moose trapped in a horse paddock followed a British Columbia woman to freedom after other rescue attempts failed.
Shauna McAllister had just poured her morning coffee on Oct. 27 at her ranch north of Clinton, British Columbia, located about 230 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, when she noticed a pair of furry ears that didn’t look like the others.
“I thought, that’s not my big horse. What is that?”
He put on his slippers and robe and found a large juvenile moose standing on his fenced property.
“I think his hump was at least six feet high. And he had those big, long, floppy ears like a donkey and the typical moose goatee… and a big, rounded snout.”
McAllister knows how dangerous animals, especially moose, can be, having worked with wild and large animals throughout her life as a zoo evaluator and veterinary assistant.
He approached the moose cautiously, looking for signs of injury or distress.
McAllister wasn’t sure how the animal got in and said it appeared healthy, calm and was content to stay put.
She suspects the moose was about a year and a half old, an age when moose abandon their mothers and venture out on their own.
He was concerned that the young moose would eventually try to escape and jump a fence onto the road that runs alongside his property.
Vehicle collisions with moose are not uncommon in the region and can be fatal.
McAllister made several attempts to chase the moose toward the open door, but it was unfazed.
He called BC Conservation Officer Service for help and was told officers don’t typically carry out animal transfers, but they would see what could be done.
While waiting, McAllister and his horses watched as the young elk took a nap.
“It was absolutely the most magical experience I remember having, possibly, in my life,” he said.
Finally, the RCMP and BC Conservation Officer Service vehicles arrived.
He presented the mounted police officer and conservation officer with a Canadian flag mounted on a two-metre metal flagpole, thinking it could be used for self-defence or as a tool of persuasion, depending on how the situation developed.
“It’s not every day you get called about a trapped moose,” said Const. Taylor Sippel with the RCMP Provincial Support Team.
Sippel and the conservation officer tried to use their air rifles to scare the moose away, but he wouldn’t budge.
After an hour, McAllister checked on the officers and the moose.
“I peeked through the trees.”
He said the Mountie was smiling and talking to the moose, while the conservation officer conducted an assessment.
They said the moose seemed healthy, but, as she had learned, it wasn’t interested in leaving.
McAllister said that throughout his life he has developed an instinct for handling large, stubborn horses.
Okay honey, it’s time to follow Auntie.-Shauna McAllister
“I just walked up to [the moose]two inches from her nose, and I said, ‘Okay, honey, it’s time to follow Auntie.’ Come on. Come and follow us right now.’”
And he did it.
He led the moose and the officers, one of whom was still wielding the Canadian flag, across his property, through the open gate and onto the road.
Officers then used the Canadian flag to convince the moose to enter a Crown forest.
“We’re glad we were able to release this moose,” Sippel said.
Clinton RCMP and the BC Conservation Officer Service would like to remind the public to keep a safe distance from wildlife and to report animals in distress.
