800-pound moose on the loose shuts down Utah highway. Rescuers step in to move him

An 800-pound moose caused some commotion this week in Utah.

The lone bull running along the highway in Sardine Canyon, about 75 miles north of Salt Lake City, attracted the attention of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

In a video released by Utah DNR on Jan. 11, the moose can be seen galloping next to the road, alarmingly close to cars.

Although they are not usually aggressive creatures, moose are gigantic. A collision with a moose is more than 10 times as dangerous as hitting a deer, according to AZ Animals.

Concerned the moose would get hit, the team at Utah DNR tranquilized and followed him, waiting for the medicine to take effect. According to the video, he fell asleep 10 minutes later, collapsing near Mantua.

It took a crew of nearly a dozen people to carry the moose into a trailer. The video captures a swarm of people gathered around the sleeping animal, moving him, inch by inch.

The trailer transported the moose from the side of the road to the Hardware Wildlife Management Area, about 30 miles away. At some point along the ride, the moose woke up. Fortunately, there wasn’t far to go. The video shows a sleepy moose sauntering out of the trailer and gazing at his surroundings. He then picks up pace and runs off.

“Many thanks to officers with the Utah Highway Patrol and Mantua for temporarily closing the road and helping us move the moose,” Utah DNR said in a post on Jan. 11. “A huge thanks to all of the motorists for their patience that day as well!”

According to Utah DNR, the moose will be much safer in his new location than where he was by the road.

This story was originally published January 12, 2024 at 4:35 PM with the headline "800-pound moose on the loose shuts down Utah highway. Rescuers step in to move him."