Illustrative photo of a moose grazing near an airport in the US.
Debora Vandor/Getty Images
A moose was killed after wandering onto a Connecticut airport, per AP.
Authorities said the animal posed a safety risk for passengers and drivers on a highway.
But several online users are asking why the moose wasn’t relocated out of the airport instead.
A moose was killed after wandering onto the grounds of a Connecticut airport — but online users are asking why the animal wasn’t relocated instead.
The moose was euthanized after it was seen roaming near Bradley International Airport in Connecticut on Friday, according to a report by the Associated Press. Authorities said the moose posed safety concerns for passengers and drivers at a highway close to the airport, per AP. The report did not specify the type of safety concerns.
A video posted on Twitter by the local TV station WFSB showed a frail-looking moose wandering about on a road. Connecticut has only around 100 moose, according to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, or DEEP.
—WFSB Channel 3 (@WFSBnews) June 10, 2023
“When moose are roaming in high-traffic areas such as airports and public roadways it can be a public safety concern and both DEEP and airport staff are authorized to euthanize a moose if deemed necessary,” said James Fowler, a spokesman for DEEP, per the report.
According to AP, the moose did not wander onto the runway behind the airport’s perimeter fence, nor was the animal injured.
Several online users were left asking why the moose was euthanized instead of being relocated. The AP report did not state why the moose could not be moved out of the airport.
“The moose is just lost, hell anyone with a horse trailer could have moved it somewhere safe,” read a tweet.
“Why not just tranquilize and relocate? Zero reason to kill that animal,” read another tweet.
Another tweet pointed out: “It could have been moved back to the woods. Every time an animal is where it’s not supposed to be it gets killed.”
DEEP and Bradley International Airport did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment, sent after office hours.