RUTLAND, MASS. (WHDH) - An elementary school in Rutland received a surprise visit Monday morning as a moose wandered through the area.
The moose was seen walking past Naquag Elementary School near the entrance to the school.
Several photos and videos captured the moose’s visit, with the animal curiously looking around before wandering off.
Parents dropping off their kids at the time later said they could barely believe what they were seeing.
“I was pulling in with my daughter and I thought it was a horse at first because there’s a horse farm down the hill here,” said Bill Lynch. “Sure enough, it was no horse. It was a moose walking straight through the crosswalk.”
Moose populations have been rebounding in Massachusetts since the 1980s, according to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Though sightings are more common in western and central Massachusetts, officials said moose have occasionally ventured into the eastern part of the state.
State officials advise people to never approach or pursue a moose.
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