Police officer frees moose stuck in swing set

A moose was set loose by a Weber County Sheriff’s Deputy after the animal got his antlers tangled in a swing set. The moose wandered into a homeowner’s backyard in Causey Estates outside of Huntsville, Utah, and trapped himself in the chains of several swings.

Sgt. Lane Findlay said a neighbor called to report the animal in distress. The neighbor had used a pair of bolt cutters to clip a few chains of the swing before Findlay arrived. “I walk up and there’s this full grown moose with three swings wrapped around its horn and it’s completely trapped,” Findlay said. He said the animal was clearly agitated and in pain.

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The moose had blood on his antlers and some of the velvet from his skin had come off. He cautiously moved toward the animal with the bolt cutters in hand and started cutting the chains. “Every time I would cut one, he would feel that tension release and start to move around,” Findlay said.

He tried not to cut the swings too high to prevent the swings from staying stuck on the moose and successfully set him loose. “Once he was free he just took off,” Findlay added. The moose wandered to a nearby home and laid down to rest. Findlay gave the moose water and sprayed him down with a hose. The Department of Natural Resources also responded to the incident. They said the animal will shed its antlers and be fine.