Moose attacks two vehicles near Eveleth before being euthanized by authorities

DULUTH — A moose possibly struggling with a neurological disorder rammed a logger's truck and charged at least one other vehicle in northern Minnesota before state DNR officers tracked it down south of Eveleth and euthanized it last week.

The adult cow was shot, blood samples were quickly collected, and its 500- to 800-pound body was lifted into a truck with the help of the loggers' bulldozer. It was taken to the University of Minnesota's veterinary lab, according to Penny Backman, Minnesota DNR area wildlife supervisor.

The moose will be studied to determine what caused its abnormal behavior. Backman said officials believe it could be a tumor, an abscess or maybe brain worm.

"This happens every once in a while," she said, though it has been a few years since she has encountered a scenario like this.

Virginia, Minn.-based conservation officer Shane Zavodnik first fielded a complaint about a moose that was "challenging a vehicle" early Tuesday, he said. The driver, reportedly on a morning commute, turned around and tried a new route. At the time, officials didn't yet think they needed to intervene.

"Animals are animals," Zavodnik said. "It will probably go back into the woods and be the end of the threat."

The next day, he received a complaint from a logger. One of the crew's trucks had a smashed headlight, mirror and hood. All evidence — moose hair, moose tracks — pointed to the moose.

A few hours later, the moose returned to the scene of the logger's busted-up truck near the intersections of Co. Hwy. 16 and U.S. Hwy. 53 south of Eveleth. Officials from the DNR shot the animal.

Backman said it could be a while before the moose's test results come back.