MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. A young moose that was injured in a traffic accident over the weekend outside Moscow died during surgery on Tuesday evening, the Moscow Region’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food told TASS.

"The Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region confirms that the young moose that was injured in a traffic accident in the Istra municipality on May 18 has died," the ministry said as it described Ilyusha, as veterinary doctors called the animal, as courageous and sturdy. "He died from the administration of anesthesia while undergoing a surgical procedure; his heart stopped beating at 8:30 p.m. Moscow time (5:30 p.m. GMT) on May 20," the ministry recounted.

Mikhail Suchkov, the head of the Maxima Vet clinic, said that the animal kept trying to stand up while being treated despite both its hind legs being broken, thus aggravating his injury. "Nevertheless, we kept hope alive and did everything we could to rescue him. However, he did not survive the surgery, and his heart stopped beating during the procedure because his body was very weak," the ministry quoted Suchkov as saying. The moose will be cremated as required, he specified.

The traffic accident took place on the Pavlovskaya Sloboda - Nakhabino sector of the Moscow Small Ring Road at about 8:20 p.m. Moscow time (5:20 p.m. GMT) on May 18. Law enforcement agencies have launched a probe into the accident.