A moose taller than an SUV 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,” said Colorado Division of Wildlife spokesman Randy Hampton.
The condo’s tenant, who wasn’t identified, awoke to find the moose relaxing in the 20-by-20 foot patio area and called Colorado Division of Wildlife managers.
The wildlife managers thought they might be able to herd the animal out of the yard, said Hampton.
“You yell at them a little bit, and they will generally move along. For the most part, they are pretty solitary animals; they don’t want to hang out with people.”
But that didn’t work. 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 proceeded to carry him through the condo.
“The owner was concerned about damage. This is a condo in Vail, and it is a big animal. It is like carrying a piano. You can bang up some walls. We assured him we would pay for any damage,” Hampton said.
The moose was driven by pickup truck down Interstate 70 to a remote area north of Wolcott and released.
“Sometimes, wildlife management is a mix of innovation and heavy lifting,” Hampton said.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
