Orphan calf wanders hwy

Photo: File photo

A search is underway for an orphaned moose calf in southeastern B.C. that has managed to evade predators, vehicles and capture.

The roughly three-week-old calf was one of two orphaned on June 19 when their mother was hit and killed on Highway 3 between Cranbrook and the Alberta border.

The Conservation Officer Service says although the twins were just a few weeks old, both easily outran humans, and were spotted near Highway 3, venturing onto the busy roadway.

Animal rescue technician Colleen Bailey says one of the two was killed by a car last week, but there have been few sightings of its sibling since then.

Bailey says teams have been tracking the animal, which is about as big as a mid-sized dog, weighing about 22 kilograms.

She says the mother moose was well-known around the city of Fernie and residents are upset about the deaths and plan to send the calf to a licensed rehabilitation facility if it is found.