When Tara Cawley was driving her daughter to daycare she had to look twice at the large animal crossing the road in front of her van.
At first, she thought it was a horse, but then she realized it was in fact a young moose.
“I was very surprised,” she told CityNews Ottawa. “My daughter thought it was the coolest thing in the world.”
The moose sighting happened around 7:30 a.m. on Friday on Leacock Drive in the Beaverbrook neighbourhood in Kanata. Cawley pulled over and called authorities concerned for the children and dog walkers that were around.
“When I called I didn’t know what to say, I just said I needed to report a moose sighting in Kanata…And they transferred me to police,” she said. “The woman was super nice and told me police would be dispatched. My main concern to report was because of the area and there being many schools.”
PHOTOS: Moose wondering around Kanata neighbourhood
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Cawley said she’s seen deer and a bear in Kanata but this is her first moose sighting outside of a zoo.
“This was very cool and very Canadian!”
Ottawa bylaw officers said they are working with partners to return the moose to its natural habitat.
It is not uncommon that moose find their way to the nation’s capital, Lynne Rowe, the Director of Operations for Holly’s Haven Wildlife Rescue, explained to CityNews.
“The occasional moose sighting happens regularly in the suburbs east of Ottawa and we see them now and then in the rural west end,” she said.
Due to the increasing new housing developments, Rowe said, it will “inevitably” displace more animals.
In these scenarios, people need to give the moose lots of space and remain calm. She said it’s normal for young moose of this age to be on its own and she’s confident it could find its way back to an unpopulated area.
“This draws attention to the importance of preserving wildlife corridors in city planning,” Rowe said.