Sunday, October 18, 2009

University of Alaska Anchorage campus police shot a bull moose on Thursday after it became entangled within fencing material.

The animal was reportedly in an “agitated state” when it got its antlers stuck in a fence used to support young trees. Attempting to free itself, the moose struggled as it began moving towards the campus’s Fine Arts Building. Police blocked off the area and alerted the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before they shot the bull as it became an “imminent threat”.

Police chief Dale Pittman said that the preferred method of taking down the animal was with tranquilizers, but the university’s police are not trained to use such drugs.

Pittman said, “In order to keep our community safe, UAA Police made the decision to put the animal down rather than risk injuries or human death as a result of a moose-human encounter”. He added, “We do not like having to use deadly force, even on animals”.