SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — A Game, Fish, and Parks official says social media was pretty hard on officials over the errant moose near Sioux Falls this week.
But Jeremy Rakowicz says safety for both the public and the moose was paramount.
“Our intent was not to harass or do anything to that moose. we didn’t want to shoot it or kill it for no reason,” Rakowicz said. “It was so close to the Interstate. Hitting a moose versus a deer is quite a bit different.”
He said GF&P and other agencies were trying to push it away from town or busy highways.
“We wanted to point in the right direction that we wanted it to go,” Rakowicz said.
Rakowicz says moose in the area is not rare but happens every few years.
So why did the moose end up in the Sioux Falls area instead of in his likely home range in the forests of northern Minnesota?
Rakowicz says there are two theories. The first is that something was wrong with the moose’s brain, causing him to wander away from his range. The other, which Rakowicz thinks is more likely, is the young bull moose was tired of getting beat up by older, stronger bull moose during mating season and decided to get away from the abuse.
GF&P’s Rakowicz appeared this morning on KELO Radio’s “It’s Your Business” show.
