(Dickinson County, IA) -- The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a male moose slipped thru weak ice this week at East Okoboji Lake in Dickinson County this week and drowned. DNR Conservation Officer Dan Dirks says it's likely the moose wandered into the area from northern Minnesota.
He says the ice is only about two inches thick, so first responders from Spirit Lake and the Okoboji area used an airboat to reach the location to remove the dead animal. Officer Dirks says the moose's body will be examined at Iowa State University where researchers will confirm it's age and study it's genetic makeup.
Dirks says in the past few years, at least one or two moose have wandered into the Iowa Great Lakes area. He says the DNR had received several calls this week from witnesses who noticed the animal.