Following two visits by moose last week in Weyburn, residents are urged to enjoy the wildlife "at a distance," says a local conservation officer.

Lindsey Leko said a young bull calf was spotted at the Weyburn Courthouse in the early hours of May 30. Conservation officers were able to direct the animal away from the residential area by barring his way along possible exits and effectively "corralling" him towards the city's edge.

Though they had the ability to tranquilize the moose, Leko said they try to avoid that whenever possible because it can have adverse effects on the animal.

"Even before (the animal) is tranquilized, it's got high stress, high anxiety. When you administer a drug they may go to sleep and they may never wake up," he said.

Leko said he later spotted the moose wandering the grounds of Souris Valley. Hopefully, it will move on by its own, given that Souris Valley doesn't really have the vegetation it needs.

Besides the moose spotting on May 30, three moose calves were also spotted wandering as a group on May 31, in a field behind Hillcrest Cemetery.

If people spot a moose, the most important thing they can do is keep their distance. On May 30, conservation officers had to contend with a crowd of sightseers trying to catch a glimpse of the animal, which made their jobs harder and could have potentially created a dangerous situation.

Even conservation officers kept their distance from the animals, and people should be doing the same - see the wildlife, but see it at a distance.

"The last thing we need is more people out there trying to see this thing," he said, noting that dogs shouldn't be left to chase wildlife around.

Leko said there is a growing moose population in the southeast, and this is the time of year that cows will push out mature calves to make room for new offspring. As such, those calves are prone to wander and find new territory.

Though they're probably a rarity around Weyburn, moose spottings are pretty commonplace in the Stoughton-Griffin-Benson area.

If people in Weyburn do spot a moose in the city, they should call the City Police, who will then get in touch with conservation officers.