Moose that wandered into southern Minnesota is dead

A wayward moose that drew attention last week for showing up on a farm in southern Minnesota has died.

Lou Cornicelli, wildlife research manager with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said he got word from fellow DNR colleagues in southern Minnesota Thursday morning that the animal was dead and had been found "in someone's yard."

He had no other details about the cause of death but said DNR officials plan to retrieve the carcass and seek a necropsy.

The moose became a curiosity after it was spotted for several days eating apples at a farm near the southern Minnesota town of Sleepy Eye. It's uncommon for a moose to travel that far from northern Minnesota.

Cornicelli joins MPR News' The Daily Circuit Thursday morning to discuss moose habitat, habits and life in Minnesota.