Moose prompts shelter-in-place order at Helena school

Students at Capital High School in Helena had their schedule interrupted by a moose Friday morning after it wandered onto the campus, resulting in a shelter-in-place order as school and city officials responded.

Around 9 a.m., the school’s principal, Brett Zanto, alerted students that a moose, which had been sighted near or on the school campus the past three days, was on the loose and for students to remain in their classrooms.

“I think Fish and Game and law enforcement tried to push it over the fairgrounds a couple days ago,” Zanto told Montana Free Press. “Well, now it’s back again today and when they tried to push it back over towards the fairgrounds in that direction, evidently it didn’t want to leave.”

Local law enforcement advised the school to initiate the shelter-in-place order, which was lifted after about 15 to 20 minutes, and the school day resumed.  

“The worry was that if we had any students outside like during the passing period,” Zanto said. “They were just worried about the students’ safety. [The moose] was upset and, you know, saw a student and who knows what.”

Local wildlife officials and police coerced the moose off campus and into the marshy area on the northwest side of the school toward the Lewis and Clark Fairgrounds. 

“It’s not a surprise,” Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon told MTFP. “There’s some swaths of area that are sort of moose habitat. I don’t know how normal it is, but it’s not a surprise that a moose would show up there.”

JoVonne Wagner is a reporter for the Montana Free Press, a nonprofit Helena-based newsroom, and can be reached at jwagner@montanafreepress.org.