Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP) has unfortunately ended the life of a bull moose on Thursday, Dec. 1 that had been wandering around midtown Billings since October. The arrival of the moose concerned citizens as well as FWP officials and police, but soon settled down amidst the Billings neighborhood. After reports of the animal being sick, however, it didn't end up great for the "Billings Moose".

Neighbors Started Realizing Something Was Wrong

The moose had been closely monitored by Montana FWP for some time now, hoping it would leave on its own accord. However, it was reported by neighbors as early as November 28th that the moose was looking extremely ill. He was unable to walk very well and showed signs of fatigue.

The decision was made because the illness made it too risky to relocate the moose into the wild due to its poor health. Montana FWP euthanized the moose on Thursday (12/01) and a full necropsy will determine the cause of its illness. However, it was previously reported that a neighbor had fed food to it, which would have caused a ton of issues in the animal's digestive tract.

The Moose Had Become a Sight to See

The moose had essentially been mostly inactive in the neighborhoods and just resting around neighbor's backyards. Neighbors were concerned for its safety just as much as the safety of the children in the area, but luckily no incident ever occurred, even on Halloween night with all the trick-or-treaters about.

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Montana FWP stated that because of the tranquilizer used and the illness it has, the meat is unfit for consumption, so the meat will not be donated to anyone. An unfortunate end to one of Billings' most interesting animal friends.

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