SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - A young female moose wandering near I-90 in the Brandon Valley area was sedated and hauled to Brookings county this morning.
Twitter and Facebook were awash with images and video of the moose as it took position near a pile of corn off the interstate.
Emmett Keyser with Game, Fish and Parks says the moose was becoming a public hazard near the interstate and an urban area.
Keyser says had the moose moved closer to the interstate and Brandon officials may have decided to take lethal action. But G,F and P and law enforcement preferred darting the moose and managed to get her to move toward Corson.
Keyser says a veterinarian from the Great Plains Zoo darted the moose just west of Corson. He say the vet missed twice but third time was the charm. The moose was hobbled, hooded and taken to a trailer where she was given an antidote. Keyser says she got back on her feet before the ride to Brookings.
Keyser says game officials had been receiving reports of the moose in the area for weeks and encountered it near Chester not too long ago. He says she appears in good health and should be able to withstand the sedative and trailer ride.
But he adds that the entire experience is stressful and a happy outcome is not assured.
Keyser says she came from either North Dakota or Minnesota and the move is an attempt to get her closer to home.
Keyer says this is the second time in his career that a moose in southeastern South Dakota has been darted and transported.