Moose Wrecks Ping Pong Table After Falling Into Colorado Basement

Wildlife officials in Colorado had to tranquilize a moose trapped in a family’s basement and cut off its antlers in an effort to free it.

Officials with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) were called to a Breckenridge home at around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 10 to free a moose that fell into a family’s basement through a snow-covered window well.

Responding officers learned that the moose had been grazing near the snow-covered window when it, unfortunately, fell through it, KUSA reported.

Initially, officers opened the doors of the residence to create an exit for the moose. But, it refused to leave because it had to go up the basement stairs to reach the exits.

Officers had to tranquilize the moose and cut off its antlers to carry the animal through the staircase to reduce further damages to the house. Sawing off the antlers will not harm the Moose as they fall on their own this time of year. The moose will grow new antlers in the spring, said CPW.

"It was a great team effort, and other than a small cut on its leg, the moose appeared to be healthy," CPW District Wildlife Manager Jake Kay told KUSA.

No one was home at the time of the incident, KMGH-TV reported. An image of the "basement moose" shared online showed the animal appeared to have broken the home owner’s ping pong table. But, the extent of external damage to the property remains unclear.

"It’s important that window wells allow people in a home to escape in the event of an emergency, but at times they can be hazards to wildlife," KUSA quoted CPW Area Wildlife Manager Jeromy Huntington as saying. "Removing vegetation that may attract wildlife around the vicinity of window wells and covering below ground window wells with approved grates that allow people to escape will reduce the likelihood of wildlife becoming trapped, or in this case, having an unwelcome visitor in the home."