Photo: Courtesy of Westford Animal Control.
WESTFORD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — At around 6:30 a.m. this morning the Westford Fire Department and Westford Animal Control received reports that a two-year-old female moose was sauntering around homes and fences near River and Broadway Streets. Hours later, the cow moose was in the middle of traffic on North Main, exhausted and overheated from constantly moving.
Officials say eventually the moose tried and failed to jump a fence in a parking lot to find shade and water and laid down on the pavement. Because moose are not capable of sweating, it's common for them to overheat, officials said.
Biologists from the Massachusetts Environmental Police and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife arrived to help lift the over 400-pound mammal into a truck to be brought outside of Westford.
Photo: Courtesy of Westford Animal Control.
She was found to have been suffering from winter tick, the leading cause of death for moose that are under the age of one. Westford officials say the moose in question was treated and released back into the wild.
Photo: Courtesy of the WAC.
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"Thank you to Officer Haslam and the Westford Police Department as well as the Westford Fire Department for the assistance and the Massachusetts Environmental police and the MassWildlife biologists for their response and dedication to these beautiful creatures," WAC said.
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