(Radio Iowa) – A video appeared Thursday on Facebook of what appears to be a young bull moose crossing an empty field in northwest Iowa, and Sioux Center’s Police Chief issued a warning that the moose was near Dordt University this (Friday) morning. D-N-R Regional Conservation Officer John Sells hasn’t seen the moose in person, but has seen the photos.

Sells says moose sightings are not as unusual as you would think.

He says if moose come this far south, it’s usually because of one thing.

Moose in a field in Sioux County. (Sioux Center PD Facebook photo)

Sells says moose are a protected species in Iowa, you cannot shoot or hunt them, and if you see a moose, you should stay clear

Sells says moose can travel five to tens miles a day, and have been known to travel up to 100 miles a week. He says the moose’s trajectory is in a southeasterly direction, which could put it in the Orange City and Alton areas Saturday, unless it decides to turn around and go back home. Sioux County Conservation Board Biologist Sunday Ford says there’s been an increase of unusual wildlife recently spotted in the area. She cites a report of a wild bull Elk in Plymouth County this week, and an Armadillo near Hospers in August.