State Environmental Police Shoot, Kill Moose In Leominster

LEOMINSTER (AP) — State environmental police had to shoot a moose that was hanging around the busy juncture of two highways in Leominster because the big animal refused to move.

The moose was killed at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday after several hours of hanging around the intersection of Routes 2 and 12.

Local police had been tracking the moose and trying to coax it away from the busy roadways and closer to the Nashua River, but it refused to budge.

Environmental police were called to the scene and made the decision to shoot the moose, which would pose a danger to motorists if it went into the road.

Leominster police Sgt. Richard Kinney says authorities prefer not to kill animals.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.