NORTHAMPTON — A moose on the loose in downtown Northampton had residents calling the Northampton Police Department on Friday morning.
The moose was last seen around 7:50 a.m. in the Hockanum Road area of the Meadows. According to police, it was first seen just before 6 a.m. on North King Street, later on King Street around 6:45 a.m., and then in the Parsons Street area off Bridge Street about 7:10 a.m.
An environmental police officer on the scene at the Meadows who declined to give his name said that with Interstate 91 and the Connecticut River as two major boundaries — and the downtown area as a third — the loose moose had limited options.
“But moose are very good swimmers,” he said, adding that “these interactions between humans and wildlife are becoming more frequent.”
The environmental officer said he was prepared to shoot the animal in the event it became a threat to public safety.
“The hope is that they stay in an area that’s not going to become a public safety hazard,” he said. “They are just so huge.”
As the environmental officer talked, what sounded like the call of a cow moose could be heard coming from a neighboring Northampton police cruiser.
“You trying to coax it out with a mating call?” the environmental officer asked the two Northampton officers, chuckling.
However, the animal was not spotted again by authorities.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.