A trio of metropolitan moose were safely released outside of St. Albert this week after their morning meanderings forced two Parkwood schools to lock their doors.
Students at École Secondaire Sainte Marguerite d’Youville (ESSMY) and École Marie Poburan went into a hold-and-secure Feb. 8 after three moose were spotted outside the schools at about 9:15 a.m.
(A hold-and-secure is when a school locks its outside doors in response to a security threat in the school’s vicinity and does not allow anyone in or out of the building besides law enforcement. It is distinct from a lockdown, which sees a school lock its inside and outside doors in response to a direct threat to the school, and a shelter-in-place, where students take shelter in a school against an environmental emergency.)
Marie Poburan substitute administrator Monique Noel-Palkun said the moose — a cow and two calves — were seen roaming the tree stand between the two schools early that morning. She suspected they were the same three moose that had been spotted throughout St. Albert in recent weeks.
School officials called Alberta Fish and Wildlife and started a hold-and-secure to keep students away from the moose, said Greater St. Albert Catholic spokesperson Shanlyn Cunningham. The hold-and-secure was initially misreported to some families as a tornado warning.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers had received multiple reports about three moose along Boudreau Road (which is next to ESSMY) in recent weeks, said Alberta Justice and Solicitor General spokesperson Ina Lucila in an email. As this is a dangerous situation — a cow moose can easily become violent in defence of its young, and this one was near two schools — and the moose had not tried to leave the area for several weeks, officers decided their best move was to relocate the moose.
Officers tranquilized the moose, loaded them on trucks, and released them alive and awake at a natural area outside of town, Lucila said.
The two schools resumed normal operations at about 1 p.m., Cunningham said.
A typical moose stands taller than most horses and weighs up to 600 kilograms, reports Hinterland Who’s Who. Moose frequent St. Albert’s river valley and natural areas, but sometimes wander into neighbourhoods and put people, property, and themselves at risk.
Residents who see moose in urban areas should not confront them and should take cover behind vehicles or buildings if charged, Lucila said. Residents should keep children and pets indoors until the moose leaves, ensure it has obvious escape routes from any yard, and close blinds so the moose doesn’t mistake a window for an open path. If the moose poses a danger to the public, call Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-642-3800.
