Moose makes rare appearance in downtown Greeley
Walden proclaims itself as the "Moose capital of Colorado," but Greeley might be the "Moose capital of Weld County."
Though Johnstown might argue that.
A 3-year-old cow (female) moose wandered into Weld County this week, causing quite a stir.
Jennifer Finch, a Weld County public information officer, said she was at a Weld County Board of Commissioners land use hearing meeting at the county administration building, 1150 O St., when Ryan Rose, county administration director, came out of his office excited and said, "There’s a moose outside!"
"Sure enough, we looked out the window in time to see a moose walk across the front of the administration building and then through our parking lot," Finch said. "Definitely not something I’ve ever seen in Greeley."
Kara Van Hoose, Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson for the Northeast Region, said a moose was reported in Johnstown on July 16 and is believed to be the same moose that showed up in Greeley July 19.
Van Hoose said the wildlife agency was notified around 11 a.m. Wednesday of a moose in the vicinity of 11th and O streets in east Greeley. By the time wildlife officers arrived, the moose moved into a cornfield near 17th and O streets.
Officers lost sight of the moose in the corn, so Weld County sheriff's deputies used a drone to track down the animal. Wildlife officers tranquilized the moose and hauled her to a remote site west of Fort Collins.
"It's pretty rare to see moose in Greeley, especially downtown Greeley," Van Hoose said. "Our officers could think of only three or four moose in Greeley in the last couple decades."
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She said the moose likely wandered from the mountains down river corridors to Weld County.
The state wildlife agency says the state has a healthy moose population estimated at roughly 3,000.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Moose makes rare appearance in downtown Greeley, Colorado
