When Grant Thomas-Nelson got a call Tuesday morning saying an animal had broken into his building, he didn’t believe it.
“I initially thought it was a prank. I had a little laugh at first,” he said.
It wasn’t a prank. A young bull moose had smashed through a window at the office building he runs on Midpark Boulevard S.E. in Midnapore, and it was “roaming around in the front foyer.”
The building houses the Calgary office of AgCall, an agriculture services company, which posted video of its visitor on Instagram.
“AgCall had an unexpected visitor at our Calgary office this morning!” the company wrote.
It left the way it came in
Thomas-Nelson propped the front doors open and went around to another entrance to nudge the moose toward the exit. People in the building helped steer it out.
The moose ignored the open doors. It walked back out through the broken window and wandered off toward Fish Creek Provincial Park.
Police and animal control were called. No one was hurt, and the only damage reported was the window.
Thomas-Nelson called seeing a moose in a busy part of the city “very rare.”
Wildlife officers moved it out of the city
The moose didn’t stay near Fish Creek for long.
Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers later tracked it down, safely immobilized it and moved it to suitable habitat west of Water Valley, northwest of Calgary. Officials said it had minor cuts from the glass but no other obvious injuries.
Why it happened now
Midnapore sits right along the south edge of Fish Creek Provincial Park, where moose, deer and coyotes live just steps from homes and offices.
The timing fits, too. The moose rut runs from late September to mid or late October, according to the province. Moose move around more during the rut, day and night, and bulls are more easily provoked. Young males often get pushed out by older bulls and end up wandering into places they shouldn’t be.
As for the window, moose don’t understand glass any better than birds do. A reflection or a clear view of the lobby could easily have confused it.
Calgary’s moose problem isn’t new
This is the second time this year Fish and Wildlife officers have had to move moose out of Calgary.
In April, officers removed a cow moose and a yearling from Scenic Acres in the city’s northwest after reports they were acting aggressively toward people and pets. It was the cow’s second trip out of the city. She’d been moved about 50 km away the year before, after charging a dog walker, and found her way back.
This time officers took her about 80 km away, near Sundre, hoping the distance would keep her from returning.
Some encounters end badly. In 2023, a moose in McKenzie Lake died of what officials called extreme stress after crowds gathered to photograph it.
What to do if you see a moose in Calgary
The province’s advice:
Keep your distance, even if the moose looks calm.
Don’t chase it, yell at it or throw things, and keep dogs away. Moose will kick at barking dogs.
Watch for warning signs: ears pinned back, raised hair on the neck, lip licking or snorting. Back away if you see them.
If it charges, get behind a tree, vehicle or building. If you’re knocked down, curl into a ball and protect your head.
If it’s in your yard, keep kids and pets inside and leave it a clear way out.
To report a moose in town, call Alberta Fish and Wildlife at 310-0000 during business hours. After hours, call the Report a Poacher line at 1-800-642-3800. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
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