An occasional occurrence if you live near Anchorage, Alaska, is for a moose to become entrapped inside your home. Firefighters on the Kenai Peninsula were surprised to receive a call requesting their assistance in removing a 500-pound moose calf from the basement of a nearby home, regardless of its frequency.
Alaskan basement window that a moose fell through.
Joseph Morris, an Alaska Wildlife Trooper, stated, “It’s not as rare as you think that the moose makes it inside of a home.”
In addition to six members of the Kenai Peninsula fire department, Joseph was among the experts called to the scene. Once there, they quickly determined that a one-year-old bull moose weighing “only” 500 pounds was nibbling on vegetation near the window when he fell in, shattered the window, and landed in the basement of the home.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist was able to tranquillize the moose, which rendered him sedated but did not put him to sleep. As the firefighters entered the basement one by one, the moose was alert but unruffled.
Firefighters put their heads together to devise a method for transporting the heavy animal out of the house, ultimately deciding to use a stretcher designed for larger humans. It took six strong men to remove the moose from the residence.
A group of firefighters carrying an orphaned moose away from a residence.
Gunnar Romatz, a firefighter from the Kenai Peninsula, stated, “I can’t even believe it”.
Gunnar continued, “Luckily, he was conscious enough to honestly help us out a little bit,” Gunnar continued. “Luckily, it wasn’t a full-grown moose.”
Although moose are common in Alaska, even the most experienced firefighters will never forget their first encounter with one.
“All the while, this moose is just picking its head up, and you’re two inches away from this moose, you know?” Gunnar said. “So we’re like, ‘How are you?’ And it just kind of looked at us, ‘Haven’t been in this situation before, you know.’ Us either!”
A biologist administered an anti-sedative to the moose once it was safely outside, and the animal eventually got up and ran off into the woods. The saviours were left with an incredible tale, and we’re sure they enjoy telling it!