Moose on the loose

LITCHFIELD COUNTY — A moose may no longer be on the loose, but he’s still in the neighborhood.

A male moose that had been spotted and tracked by local and state officials as it traveled through portions of Litchfield and northern New Haven counties — including Winsted — over the past two weeks was tranquilized and captured by the state Department of Environmental Protection last Friday, Sept. 25, in Middlebury.

The animal was relocated and released into People’s State Forest in Barkhamsted the same day, according to Dwayne Gardner, a spokesman for the DEP.

Gardner said after the animal wandered into more heavily populated areas such as Watertown and Southbury late last week, state wildlife officials became increasingly concerned that the moose would be struck by a motor vehicle.

“It was seen within 100 yards of Interstate 84 on Friday,� Gardner said.

In June 2007, a New Hampshire woman was driving southbound on the Merritt Parkway in New Canaan when the car she was driving hit a moose.

The woman was injured during the accident and had to be taken to an area hospital for treatment. The moose was severely injured and had to be put down by the DEP’s Environmental Conservation (EnCon) police.

Gardner said the entire process of tranquilizing and relocating a moose, however, can be dangerous or even fatal to the animal. Because of this, last Friday, wildlife officials continually iced the moose down during its travel north to the state forest relocation site in Barkhamsted.

“They needed to keep the body temperature from going too high,� Gardner said, adding that the cooler temps last Friday also helped to make the effort safe and successful.

The DEP estimates the moose population in Connecticut currently stands at about 100, with most located in the northwestern and northeastern sections of the state. The population is likely growing due to resident reproduction and immigration from Massachusetts, wildlife officials say.

This is the second time this year that a moose has been tranquilized and relocated within Connecticut. In May, a moose was captured in New Britain and then successfully released into a heavily wooded area in the northern part of the state.

Gardner said the moose captured last week was not an animal that was previously captured by the DEP, as it had not yet been tagged by wildlife officials.