Wandering moose wakes Massachusetts family

May 16 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts family had an unusual awakening when the loud noises outside their home turned out to be a wandering moose.

Sherri LeDuc said the motion camera at her Westford home alerted her to a ruckus outside the house about 6:45 a.m. and she discovered the cause was a large moose loitering in her yard.

"The sound of its hooves hitting the pavement was so surreal and loud," LeDuc told Boston 25 News.

LeDuc said the moose left the area after about 10 minutes.

Westford Animal Control officials said the moose then made its way to the nearby St. Catherine's of Alexandria Church.

"She was definitely stressed and overheated," Animal Control Officer Kirsten Hirschler told WestfordCAT. The moose "attempted to jump a fence and was unsteady on her feet and collapsed."

The moose was wrangled with help from Massachusetts Environmental Police, Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife, Westford Police Department and Westford Fire Department.

"We hosed her down with the help of the fire department," Hirschler said. "She was tranquilized and loaded into a truck."

MassWildlife State Deer and Moose Biologist Martin Feehan said the approximately 2-year-old moose is recovering and is expected to be fine.

"She's doing pretty well," he said. "She did also have a pretty bad case of winter tick, which can be lethal. She's pretty lethargic from it but will likely recover. We were able to administer medicine that will help with the tick issue as well."