Authorities are defending their decision to kill a 700-pound bull moose who turned up in a residential neighborhood in Burlington.
The animal, which was spotted in a backyard Tuesday morning, was killed by four shotgun blasts hours later.
Lieutenant Robert Lutz, of the state Department of Fish and Game said they have limited options when an animal is agitated and unpredictable. Lutz added that tranquilizers have a possible three- to four-minute lag time and it would not be safe to chase the animal in an urban environment.
Stephanie Miller, an animal science student at the University of Vermont in whose yard the animal camped, didn’t like the way the moose was handled. Miller said she was told she would be arrested if she didn’t stay out of the way.