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.”
In-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who know your town.
LATEST STORIES
State judge strikes down ballot envelope birth year requirement
An absentee ballot requirement that has resulted in thousands of Montana votes being thrown out since 2025 has been ruled unconstitutional by a state judge.
How candidates for U.S. House and Senate would try to make Montana more affordable
About four-in-five registered voters believe cost of living and affordability are very important in helping them decide who to vote for, according to a Montana Free Press-Eagleton poll of registered voters conducted in late August and early September. With the midterm election a month away, Montana Free Press asked the state’s candidates for federal office…
Criminal system advocates watch, wait as voters mull $175M jail expansion
As the county has grown, so has crime. Just last week, the county assigned a sergeant full-time to manage risks inside the jail from inmates with gang affiliations, Smart said.
