Photo By Rick Emert | FORT CARSON, Colo. — Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Fort Carson Conservation Law...... read more read more
By Scott Prater
Mountaineer Staff
FORT CARSON, Colo. — Fort Carson Conservation Law Enforcement military police (MP) and civilian officers partnered with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officers to capture and relocate a nearly 1,000-pound moose that had wandered onto post July 22, 2021.
Sgt. Xavier Benitez, conservation officer, 759th Military Police Battalion and Fort Carson Conservation Law Enforcement, learned of the sighting from another conservation officer who had spotted the moose earlier that morning just south of Butts Army Airfield.
For Benitez, who has been working with the conservation law enforcement office since February, the event was by far the most exciting animal capture he’s experienced since joining the force.
Once he received the call from civilian partner conservation officers, he drove directly to the area where the animal was last reported seen and quickly picked up the moose’s trail.
Little did he know, he was about to embark on a six-hour endeavor that would challenge both him and up to a dozen others.
“We normally get two to three calls a day,” said Sgt. Stephen Garcia, 759th MP Bn. and NCO in charge, Fort Carson Conservation Law Enforcement. “Mostly, our calls are for snakes, especially in the motor pools, but we’ve also captured and relocated bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and any wild animal that could harm humans. We tend to get a lot of bird calls near the airfield as well … owls get stuck in places, and we have to figure out how to get them loose safely.”
Garcia said the conservation law enforcement force is made up of MPs and civilian conservation officers, but that officers often partner with CPW officers when dealing with wildlife on post.
Benitez said he had never seen a moose before, so he was excited to go on the outing. And it didn’t take long for him to get his first glimpse.
Following its last known sighting, Benitez and civilian officers, Cassidy English and Robert Look, found the moose sitting in some tall grass near Fort Carson’s Northside Reservoir.
“He was calm, sitting down, eating some grass,” Benitez said. “We approached as quietly as we could while another team of officers approached from the opposite side with a tranquilizing rifle. The idea was for me to draw his attention so they could approach from the other side. And it worked. I got his attention.”
At some point, the moose got spooked, however, and ran off to the south. So, the team piled back into their vehicles, and the search began again in earnest.
“First, we had to find the animal again,” Benitez said. “And, we knew we would have to develop another plan because we didn’t want him running off again. We didn’t want him to tire himself out, which could lead him to overheat and possibly pass out.”
Once they found the moose again, the team was able to get close enough for an officer to fire a tranquilizer dart, which found its mark. But, after 10 minutes the animal was spotted still moving around, so officers fired a second dart, which successfully immobilized the moose (a third dart was ultimately needed to incapacitate the animal). The only problem came when the moose finally collapsed. He did so near a creek bed, with his head coming to rest in the creek.”
“We had to rush over to get his head out of the creek, then we had to figure out how to get him out to flat terrain,” said Benitez.
Ultimately, the team used a sling — made of tarp material — and manpower to drag the moose partially up the creek embankment. Fort Carson Range Control officers then assisted by providing a forklift to pull the tarp (and the moose) the rest of the way up.
From there, the team made an onsite evaluation and loaded the 2-year-old bull moose into a cattle hauler, where CPW officers administered medication to revive the animal. Benitez was told CPW officers planned to then transport and relocate the moose into an area in Teller County.
“That area is a much better habitat for moose,” Benitez said. “We’re not sure how he wound up on Fort Carson, but moose like the vegetation around water, and he was probably just following his food source. For us, it was a long day and a unique adventure. Really, I was just happy to do my part to help protect the community and the wildlife.”
| Date Taken: | 07.30.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2021 12:11 |
| Story ID: | 407338 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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