'It was totally exhausted': Video shows moose seeking refuge in Saskatoon back yard
It isn't uncommon for Harvey Peever to spot rabbits and other small animals in the back yard of his Eastview neighbourhood home.
However, he got a shock when he headed into his kitchen Tuesday morning and glanced out the window.
"There he was in all his glory," Peever said on Wednesday.
"It was just this huge moose was just standing there, just a matter of metres away."
He said the moose seemed winded and its tongue was hanging out.
"He'd obviously been running around, trying to find his way out of the city," Peever said.
He grabbed his phone and began filming the moose. The resulting video can be viewed in the player above.
The moose was one of two that had found their way into the city. There was a heavy police presence in the neighbourhood as officers worked to corral the animals.
Peever said the moose hadn't gone unnoticed with the sound of barking dogs filling the air.
"I'm sure it was just frightened, you know. So it was pacing back and forth," Peever said.
He said a set of patio doors on his shed seemed to confuse the moose.
"I think he saw his reflection … and then he would pace back and forth again and have another look in his reflection."
Peever's encounter with the moose didn't end when it finally left his yard through the only gate.
"(Police) were sort of closing in on them in our back lane area and I went out just to see which direction he was going to go," Peever said.
Standing in his back lane, Peever saw the moose standing at a nearby intersection.
"He was just standing there and he was looking at me with his head down and tongue hanging out and I was hoping that he would stay there so that maybe the wildlife people could come and (tranquillize) him and haul him safely out of the city."
Instead, the moose headed back in Peever's direction.
"He decided it was safer to come towards me than the other lanes which were probably blocked by police cars," Peever said.
"Our eyes kind of locked and he just stood there staring at me, his head down. He wasn't threatening in any way. I think it was totally exhausted."
Peever said the moose then headed off towards a park.
"That's the last time I saw him."
Police were eventually able to round up the pair of moose with the help of conservation officers. They were transported out of the city for release.
Peever said he was struck by the great lengths so many people went to in order to help keep the animals safe.
"I was quite surprised that the police and the wildlife people were able to do that, Peever said.
"Now they're back in the wild. It's just a little bit of really, really good news."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.