A moose taller than a sport utility vehicle wandered into the backyard of a Vail condo and needed help to get out Tuesday. The 700-pound bull moose fell from a snow-covered retaining wall into the yard.
“They have long legs but poor vision. It looked like it just walked and stepped down, then because of the height of the snow, it couldn’t get back on that wall,” Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton said.
The person renting the condo, who wasn’t identified, woke to find the moose relaxing in the 20-by-20-foot patio area and called wildlife managers.
Wildlife managers were unable to herd the animal out of the yard, so they called the property owner to tell him they would be carrying an unconscious moose through his condo. They shot the moose with a tranquilizer dart, bundled him in a tarp and carried him through the residence.
“The owner was concerned about damage. This is a condo in Vail, and it is a big animal,” Hampton said. “It is like carrying a piano; you can bang up some walls. We assured him we would pay for any damage.”
The moose was driven to a remote area north of Wolcott and released.
