OTTAWA, June 12 (UPI) -- Ottawa police officers killed a moose they found in an industrial area in Canada's capital city Saturday morning, officials said.
The animal was the second moose to be put down in Ottawa in June, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Last week, officers pursued two moose that had wandered into a residential neighborhood, shooting one of them.
Officers said the usual policy is to try to provide a safe route for moose and other large animals to return to open areas. But they said the moose in the St. Laurent district appeared to be in distress when officers reached it, and they could not determine any way to move it.
Critics have said police do not have the knowledge to handle wild animals straying into built-up areas. But the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources says it can only provide advice and that Ottawa is legally responsible for animals within its borders.
