Moose that attracted people wanting 'perfect photo' dies from extreme stress

Alberta Fish and Wildlife is reporting that a moose — which they say was in a state of stress and exhaustion due to people taking photos of it — has died.  

A cow moose seen wandering along residential streets in southeast Calgary attracted a lot of attention on the holiday weekend.

The calls to police started around 1:30 p.m. Sunday from the Riverbend area as people noticed the moose making its way south through several districts bordering the Bow River valley. 

And according to Sgt. Chris Martin, the situation was made more difficult by the crowds of people who wanted to get a glimpse of the wild animal, requiring a dozen officers to be sent out for crowd control.

"They'd climb fences, sneak around trees … through bushes. Whatever they could do to get that perfect photo," he said. 

All that activity around the animal spooked the moose, Martin said, causing it to jump people's fences.

"In a couple cases it actually ran through fences," he said.

Martin says if people simply give the animal space and let it move on, officers don't usually need to be dispatched for wild animal calls. 

"[But] once we start getting crowds of people trying to engage with the animal, then that's when it becomes excited, it gets stressed and it starts causing more problems, that leads to more calls, then eventually we have to make the determination that now there's a public safety issue," he said. 

The moose eventually settled in a spot between two homes in McKenzie Lake where Fish and Wildlife officers tranquilized it to get it ready to be moved elsewhere. 

Later Tuesday, Alberta Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services (FWES) said in an emailed statement that due to the period of extreme stress and exhaustion, the moose died from capture myopathy, which is a fatal condition that causes serious muscle damage resulting from extreme exertion, struggle or stress.

"The animal was found to be in a state of high stress and exhaustion due to public approaching the moose and taking photos and videos," the statement read. 

"Officers gave the animal time and space to allow it to calm down. The Calgary Police Service was also on site to support with crowd control and close down nearby roads to prevent further stress for the animal." 

After the moose seemed to have calmed down, officers proceeded to immobilize it to try to relocate it to a more suitable area away from residential areas, FWES said. 

FWES said most Alberta towns and cities continue to develop into previously untouched wildlife habitat. 

This, combined with increasing urban park networks, means that it's easy for moose and other wildlife to wander into populated areas as they search for food.