Mother Moose Rescued, Calves Drowned In Golf Course Water Feature

MOUNTAIN DELL, Utah – A mother moose and her two calves became stuck in a water collection feature at the Mountain Dell Golf Course Sunday, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. The calves unfortunately drowned, while the mother had to be rescued.

A groundskeeper discovered the mother moose Sunday morning and called DWR.

“It’s kind of a tragic story,” said Scott Root with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

Root went on to say the golf course is very wildlife-friendly.

“They have several beautiful ponds on their golf course. The golfers see moose there, and the golfers had seen these three moose yesterday,” said Root.

Moose usually hang around that area, but Root said these three moose found a remote area of vegetation, just below I-80 on the golf course, that had a concrete diversion for water.

The water was about 5-6 feet deep in the channel.

Root said there’s usually a fence around the diversion, but a vehicle left I-80 and crashed into the fence a few days earlier, damaging it.

Unfortunately, the moose found the area and were able to get into the diversion.

“The calves got in there and just couldn’t keep their heads above water very long… so they drowned,” Root said.

DWR officials then drained the water level and tranquilized the mother moose so they could retrieve her from the water feature using heavy equipment.

After she was rescued, she was given a tranquilizer reversal agent and sent on her way.

Root said DWR officials relocated her to a “remote location” in central Utah.

“It’s just one of those… freak accidents,” said Root.