A pair of moose were euthanized on Tuesday after floodwaters stranded the animals on an overpass of the Trans-Canada Highway, New Brunswick officials announced on Wednesday.
Dwayne Sabine, a biologist with the province’s department of natural resources, told media that he had determined the animals were very weak after monitoring the pair since they became stranded on the bridge near Jemseg, N.B., when the Saint John River rose to historic levels last week.
“It’s not a decision they take lightly, our staff do not enjoy doing it. It was a last resort,” said Sabine.
As the water levels rose, the moose were forced to move to higher and higher ground until they were stranded on only dry area left — the closed highway bridge.
READ MORE: N.B. officials caution people to treat contaminated floodwaters as hazardous
Sabine said that the animal’s circumstances couldn’t be fixed as it wasn’t as simple as feeding the trapped animals.
“Feeding them doesn’t work all that well. They are in their worst condition this time of year,” he said on Wednesday.
“It’s not really as simple as these animals starving to death. They’ve been stranded in cold water for some time… they can’t get warm and dry and energetically, it’s very hard on them.”
Officials said another stranded moose was herded across the bridge to safety earlier this week and although conservation officers made attempts at herding the two weakened moose, they were deemed to be too exhausted.
“In the end, they turned out to be too weak, they could really only walk a few steps. One of them was badly injured,” said Sabine.
“Our staff made the decision to euthanize the two animals… it was deemed to be the best option in that case.”
WATCH: Water levels in Maugerville finally receding
Tranquilizing wasn’t a possibility either as the animals would’ve likely been too weak to survive. It was also deemed hazardous to humans.
“It’s not as easy as the TV would have you think,” said Sabine. “It can represent a danger to the public if darts disappear. In this case, animals, because animals quite often run when they’re darted. They’re going to run into the water. They’re on a very narrow strip of highway.”
The department says it will continue to monitor for stranded animals as floodwaters continue to recede.
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