More moose being spotted in Saskatoon since May, surprising neighbourhood: ‘It didn’t feel real’

Moose are on the loose in Saskatoon.

It’s the time of year when those gigantic beasts tend to make their way into the city, and it startled people in one neighbourhood Monday.

Jillian Hueller said she was walking into her living room around lunchtime when she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

At first, she didn’t know whether to call for help or start filming, so she filmed.

“It didn’t feel real,” she said. “You hear it happening to other people and you don’t expect it to end up in your own backyard.”

Her neighbours also saw the beast and called authorities.

“I went walking back into the backyard, I was more concerned that it could have hurt itself,” said neighbour Todd Lewis.

“I don’t know what was in the backyard — you know, kids or other people in the backyard. Having a moose crash the party is probably not the way to start your day.”

Seeing animals like moose in the city is actually quite normal this time of year, according to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment.

The city has already seen five moose since May and can see upwards of eight a year.

“The yearlings are being pushed out, and they wander into the city and you can imagine being an animal trapped in the city,” said Steve Dobko with the ministry.

“There’s all the extra stress of the people and the traffic so that causes the problem where instead of going the right direction they might get in the city and a hard way to find their way out of the city.”

Dobko said if you see a moose you should call the ministry’s TIPP line at 1-800-667-7561.

Approaching it one’s self can be dangerous for both you and the animal, he said.

As for Monday’s moose, Dobko said it was able to safely find its way out of Saskatoon on its own.