An injured moose has been euthanized after causing a stir on the morning commute in Ottawa's west-end.

The moose was spotted on Hwy 417 EB near Pinecrest just before 6:30 a.m.

Ottawa Police, OPP and Ministry of Natural Resources used several vehicles to trap the moose along the median between Pinecrest and Highway 416.

Video from the scene appeared to show the moose's right front leg was injured. 

It took about two hours for an official from the Ministry of Natural Resources to arrive on scene to deal with the moose. It was removed from the highway around 9:30 a.m. 

A Ministry of Natural Resources spokesperson tells CTV News the decision was made by officials on the scene to euthanize the moose. 

MNR Spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski told Newstalk 580 CFRA by phone it was an unfortunate decision.

"After assessment and talking to a veterinarian, the Ministry determined we were going to have to dispatch the animal," Kowalski said. "It's not what we wanted but public safety has to lead any kind of discussions in situations like this. There was an injured moose on a very busy highway so, sadly, we didn't have any options, given the location of the moose."

She says the decision was made not to tranquilize the moose because the result could have been unpredictable.

"The effects of tranquilizing aren't immediate and they aren't predictable so we couldn't risk the moose running into traffic and endangering people," Kowalski says. "We didn't want it to happen. It's not a decision we take lightly. We did consult with a veterinarian and it was determined that euthanizing the animal was the appropriate action in this case, but it's not something we take lightly and it's not our desired outcome."

With files from Newstalk 580 CFRA