BY KAREN BOSSICK

Apparently, Wood River Valley residents aren’t the only ones making trips to Costco.

A cow moose wound up at the Costco in Twin Falls this week. But, rather than getting an opportunity to sample new products and return home with food for the pantry, it met with disastrous consequences.

The adult cow moose climbed out of the Snake River Canyon, where it had been seen the day before, to the Costco parking lot during the early morning hours of Thursday, Sept. 14.

 Conservation officers from the Magic Valley region monitored the situation alongside Twin Falls City police and the Twin Falls Sheriff’s office to keep the highly agitated moose from crossing city streets and entering the Blue Lakes business district, what with the early morning rush hour traffic just hours away.

Darting the moose with anesthetizing drugs was not an option until sunrise, said Terry Thompson, communications manager for Fish and Game’s Magic Valley Region. Darting involves physical and safety risk both to the animal and the staff administering the dart since anesthetized wildlife may react erratically.

After it had been darted, the moose ran west down the walking path along the canyon rim despite efforts by Fish and Game officers and Twin Falls police to corral it until the drugs could take effect. Sadly, the moose ran off the walking path and over the rocky cliff onto Canyon Spring Road where she died.

“Often when we have a moose in an urban setting the stress level of the animal is very high as it tries to find a way out,” said Mike McDonald, Regional Wildlife Manager in the Magic Valley Region. “Urban environments also present many challenges to our staff as we make every effort to safely dart wildlife while keeping the public safe. Unfortunately, there are times when even our best-efforts are not enough.”