Trapped Bull Moose Stuck Inside Red Lodge Skate Park Bowl

Red Lodge, Montana woke up on Wednesday morning with a scene that looked more like an accident than nature doing its thing. Neighbors crowded around the local skate park when they spotted emergency lights flashing and wildlife crews moving in. The glow of those beacons made folks think someone had taken a bad fall or needed urgent medical help.

Then the truth came out. A massive bull moose was planted right inside the concrete bowl, looking like it belonged there but clearly didn't have a plan to leave anytime soon. It was stuck and required outside help immediately.

Christian and Laura Stone drove by just dropping their kids off at school when they saw the lights. They stopped to check out the fuss. Seeing animals in Red Lodge is not unusual, yet finding a trapped giant of an animal inside the skate park bowl caught them completely off guard.

"I was wondering what was going on," Laura Stone told KTVQ. "Oftentimes it's somebody getting hurt over here but not typically a moose."

The authorities tried to coax the beast out first. They attempted to give it traction so it could walk free, but nothing worked. The animal simply could not gain the footing needed to escape the smooth surface. That failure forced officials to pull out the tranquilizer gun.

"We've seen a lot of animals in town, never a moose in the bottom of a skate park," Steve Langlas noted. He stood with his wife Missy watching the standoff while the moose waited patiently for its rescue.

The crowd at the scene included everyone from curious residents to official responders. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks was there alongside the Carbon County Sheriff's Office. Red Lodge Fire Rescue and local police rounded out the team managing the situation.

It certainly made for a big day in town. Authorities closed the skate park and shut down surrounding streets to keep everyone safe while they worked their angle. The moose, which locals believe is just one of those regulars that hangs around the area, was safely moved outside of town after being sedated.

"The moose is around," said local resident Sam Merrick. "It's kind of known as our local moose."

The community wants a solution that keeps everyone safe while respecting the animal's place in their neighborhood. They hope to see him wandering freely again or heading back into the hills eventually. All this fuss could have been avoided if only the bull had brought his skateboard along with him when he wandered in.