A young moose fell through a basement in Soldotna this weekend, requiring local responders to guide it out of the home.
The moose fell into a basement window well and through the egress window, possibly while reaching for some leaves. It ended up trapped in the home’s basement.
Captain Josh Thompson with Central Emergencies Services was at the scene. He says the operation involved Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologists, and about seven firefighters.
One of the Fish and Game Biologists used a dart gun to administer a sedative, then once the moose was calm, the responders lifted it onto a large tarp, carried it up the stairs and brought it outside. The whole ordeal took about an hour.
Thompson says the best way to avoid this happening at your own home is to keep vegetation that might attract wildlife away from your basement window wells. But he says it’s important not to cover these entrances, because they’re important fire exits.
