YOUR AD HERE »

Park City police called about a duck-feeding neighbor

The Park City Police Department in March has continued to receive reports of wildlife sightings in neighborhoods and elsewhere as the animals remain mobile as they search for food.

The Police Department this winter has fielded wildlife-related reports at a steady clip as the heavy snows struck the Wasatch Mountain region. There have been numerous collisions between drivers and deer, regular moose sightings and a series of reports of mountain lions.

The cases in mid-March were generally similar to the earlier ones. One of the reports, however, was unusual in Park City. The Police Department at a little bit before 8 p.m. on March 11 was told of a neighbor feeding ducks on Oak Rim Lane, a small street in Park Meadows. The person who contacted the police had several concerns.



The person “feels that with the neighbor feeding wildlife that the ducks do not migrate and then the deer are becoming more of an issue,” according to public police logs. The Police Department logs did not provide details. The Police Department categorized the case as a citizen assist rather than a suspected criminal act.

It is rare for the Police Department to field a complaint about birds, though there have been occasional concerns about the safety of sandhill cranes. The wildlife reports to the Police Department more commonly involve deer, moose or elk.



Some of the other recent cases included:

• on Sunday, March 17 at 5:34 p.m., a moose was seen “wandering” in Prospector, in the vicinity of Little Bessie Avenue and Monarch Drive. The police were told the animal was in a driveway and appeared to be disoriented. It was a younger animal, the person who contacted the Police Department said.

• on Saturday, March 16 at 1:36 p.m., a moose was seen limping in the vicinity of the intersection of Lucky John Drive and Little Kate Road. One of the animal’s back legs appeared to be injured, the police were told. The moose was “eating a tree” the person told the police. Earlier that day, at 9:55 a.m., a moose was seen “up against the garage door” at a house on Lucky John Drive. It was not clear from public police logs whether it was the same moose that was seen in both of the cases.

• on Friday, March 15 at 7:53 a.m., a moose was seen in a front yard on Quaking Aspen Court. It had apparently been in the immediate area for approximately a week and had shown aggressive behavior toward pets, the police were told.

• on Tuesday, March 12 at 12:11 p.m., a moose, injured, was seen on Evening Star Drive. The police were told a driver may have hit the moose and the animal “staggered into” a driveway. A police officer who responded found the animal and indicated it was walking and feeding.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Park City and Summit County make the Park Record's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.