The RCMP said a moose wandering in the St. Albert community of Red Willow Park Wednesday morning was killed by Alberta Fish and Wildlife after it charged an officer but at least two people are now questioning the official account of what happened.
According to RCMP, Mounties were called in to help Fish and Wildlife officers who were responding to a complaint about “several” moose wandering in the neighbourhood.
Alberta Justice said the complaints involved a cow moose and her two calves.
“The moose were in Red Willow Park near St. Albert Trail, which is a major roadway with heavy traffic,” the ministry said in a statement. “Fish and wildlife officers responded to the scene in the hopes of herding the moose out of town, both for the safety of the moose and for the nearby people.”
Brendan Cox, a public affairs officer with Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, said officers attempted to use bean bags and rubber bullets to herd the animals into the river valley. He said this method “shows the animal that it’s not a safe location for it.”
Cox said officers attempted this technique, called aversive conditioning, for about half an hour but the mother moose had an aggressive reaction to it.
“Unfortunately in this situation, the cow moose charged one of the fish and wildlife officers, and with the life and well-being of that officer in clear and present danger, the officers on scene had no option but to use lethal force to stop the moose mid-charge,” the ministry said in a statement.
But some people in the area who said they saw the situation unfold disputed the official account of what happened.
Quentin Innis said it was the officers that moved towards the animal and not the other way around.
He said he has filed a complaint with both the RCMP and Fish and Wildlife about the killing, which he calls “unnecessary.”
According to him, officers lost control of the situation.
“I totally get it, wildlife officers have a hard job, cops have a hard job, but what I saw was a group of five individuals moving toward a wild animal,” Innis said.
“I don’t get why they thought it was necessary to approach the moose.”
Elaine Vrolijk, who works across the street, said the three moose were in the park since about 10 a.m. and were not being aggressive.
“If she charged, that was a situation they created,” Vrolijk said. “They were very calm and the only time I saw them panicked was after the first two shots.
“Why would you not (tranquilize) the mother and then the calves and then move them out?”
Alberta Justice said “moose are exceptionally large and powerful animals, and a cow moose can be quick to forcefully protect their young.”
Cox said tranquilizing animals can be very risky for the officer and the animal.
“One thing that officers have to take into account before they attempt to capture and relocate an animal is something called capture myopathy,” he explained. “Capture myopathy is a disease complex where the stress of being captured and restrained causes the animal’s muscles to cease functioning properly and unfortunately, there’s no treatment for that and it can lead to an animal’s death.
“What the officers wanted to do was to shepherd the animals out of town and to avoid that added stress of having to restrain them because that is very hard on the animal.”
Cox said this was not the outcome that anyone wanted, but added he’s thankful no members of the public were hurt.
According to the ministry, the calves were “safely immobilized” and taken out of the town.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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