A moose in a lock system is not something you see every day!
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is home to an impressive lock system that helps ships bypass a set of rapids on the St. Marys River. It is directly across the river from Michigan the famous Soo Locks that are in place for the same purpose on the U.S. side. While these two areas see a lot of major ship traffic, they rarely see a visitor as unusual as the one that used the lock a few weeks ago.
On June 22, some early morning visitors to the Sault Ste. Marie canal were more than a little surprised when they looked down and saw a moose swimming through a passage meant for large ships.
Alana Kenopic was at the canal early in the morning for some fishing when the moose made its way into the waterway from Lake Superior. Kenopic captured some short video of the wayward moose.
Fortunately, this incident happened early in the morning before any major ship traffic tried to get through. According to Mlive.com, Kenopic alerted the canal's staff of the moose's plight. They tried to coax the moose back out of the canal system, but it did not work. So, the staff decided they would simply let the moose pass through like the many ships do every day.
The staff then lowered the moose down into the St. Marys river in a process that took roughly 10 to 15 minutes. The moose then swam away and was later seen heading into the shallows. Hopefully, it found its way back to the forest from there and will avoid the lock system the next time it goes swimming.
In the end, it was probably the best solution for getting the moose out of the canal. The animal was likely tired after the long swim, but it avoided all contact with humans and likely came out a little smarter about avoiding humans in the end. A win-win scenario for everyone.
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For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
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