Police forced to down 'distressed' moose in Petawawa

Police say they were forced to shoot and kill a moose that had been wandering through Petawawa, Ont., Monday after it charged a conservation officer.

At around 8:30 a.m., officers with the Upper Ottawa Valley Ontario Provincial Police received a report of a bull moose roaming through a local subdivision.

Over the morning, the moose made its way across Petawawa Boulevard, a busy main street, and gradually grew "distressed, exhausted and overheated," OPP said in a release.

Local firefighters tried to keep the animal cool with water, police said. Crews tried to direct the moose away from the residential area, said police, but were unsuccessful.

Shortly before noon, police fatally shot the animal near the intersection of Nick Street and Bedard Boulevard when it charged a conservation officer from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Petawawa is approximately 160 kilometres northwest of Ottawa.