A family of moose has taken up residence in a city park, where police have increased patrols to keep residents and the animals safe.
The three animals, a male, a female, and a calf, spread out in front of a residential building on Shumkina Ulitsa in the Sokolniki neighborhood Wednesday. One moose even ventured to take up a spot in front of the neighborhood's police station.
Police said they started receiving calls about the animals Wednesday morning, prompting them to increase patrols in the area.
Law enforcement officers attempted to drive the animals back into the park Wednesday afternoon. A passerby said police called nearby street sweepers to "get their guys," and together they chased the moose away with brooms, though the animals later returned, the BBC Russian Service reported.
Police called in specialists from Moose Island, a nearby state park inhabited by moose from where the animals apparently came. Moose Island stretches beyond the MKAD and the city limits, and is physically contiguous with the Sokolniki city park. Only about a third of the Moose Island park is within Moscow city limits.
No new calls came in to police about the animals overnight Thursday, and a police representative told RIA-Novosti that they may have gone back into the forest.
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