Three moose paid a visit to Eaglewood Golf Course in North Salt Lake, Utah, a couple different times earlier this week.
The large animals hung out in the shade for several hours, made their way into a nearby pond and also took a dip in some neighbors’ swimming pools.
Wildlife officials determined the trio was two adult bulls and one adult cow and were first seen on the third hole around noon Wednesday.
General manager Tyler Abegglen told TV station KSL in Salt Lake City “the moose stayed in the shade behind No. 4 for several hours. Toward the evening they meandered through the course, swimming in the pond and heading closer to the pro shop area.”
Shawn Johnson, who lives near the course, said it was “quite the scene.”
“People were pulling over, taking pictures. Golfers on the course were watching. It was cool and a little unnerving,” Johnson said.
The moose were seen again two days later meandering around the golf course area and taking a dip in some nearby swimming pools.
KSL-TV reported that officials from the Utah Division of Wildlife said that due to the heat, it was not safe to try to relocate the animals.
“The moose are not bothering anyone, so we’re going to leave them where they are,” said Mark Hadley, the agency’s northern region outreach manager. “It should go without saying, but we encourage people to keep a good distance from the moose and enjoy viewing them.
“With the heat we’re experiencing, attempting to tranquilize and move the moose could easily kill them. When a moose is tranquilized, the drugs affect the animal’s heart, its breathing and its ability to regulate its body temperature. No matter how hard we try to keep their body temperature down by dumping ice on them, the animals could easily die,” he told KSL.
