Moose, the largest member of the deer family, is probably most closely associated in popular culture with the weak but well-meaning cartoon character. Bullwinkle.
But that lighthearted image took a darker turn last week after an Iditarod sled dog racer in Alaska made headlines for shooting and killing a moose to protect himself and his dogs, which were among the injured. in the encounter. (He was also punished for badly biting the corpse.)
Moose attacks on humans are rare, but they do occur in states with large moose populations. In Alaska, for example, as many as 10 are reported each year. And in Colorado, The Colorado Sun reported in October that at least four people were injured in moose encounters in 2023.
Statistics are not available on fatal moose attacks against humans, but wildlife experts agree that they are rare because human deaths involving moose result almost exclusively from in car crashes. (A case of a fatal moose attack in Sweden was originally thought to be a homicide, according to a 2017 Journal of Forensic Sciences report.)
Rick Libbey has been taking photos and videos of moose in the wild for 45 years. He said displays of aggressive behavior toward humans are abnormal and that about 90 percent of the time, moose are docile, peaceful creatures.
“The problem is the other 10 percent of the time,” he said.
So if you find yourself in one of these 1-in-10 situations, what do you do?
Read body language.
Mr. Libbey said a moose that feels threatened or is thinking of charging will show signs of anxiety.
If the moose’s ears are up, straight and pinched, all is well. But if its ears are pinned down on the back of its head, “that’s the first sign of ‘I don’t want it,'” Mr. Libbey said.
The hair on the back of the moose’s neck and shoulders may rise and its eyeballs may bulge.
However, the clearest sign of impending trouble — in the form of an animal weighing 1,000 pounds or more approaching you — is if the moose’s tongue is sticking out and it’s licking its mouth, he said.
In that case, Mr. Libbey said, it was no longer a question of charging the moose. “It will happen,” he said.
Lee Kantar, a state moose biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, explained that the tongue is a way for a moose to collect scent in its receptors to size up its prey.
Be aware of moose.
For nearly a decade, Mr. Libbey split his time in the woods between New England and Alaska, taking pictures that he sharing on several online platforms under the name MooseMan Nature Photos.
Mr. Libbey and his wife, Libby (yes, she’s Libby Libbey), posted videos of immense bull moose sparring for supremacyoften during the rut, or mating season, garnering millions of views.
The bulls, or male moose, had their heads down and locked as they advanced and then retreated and then charged again, the clatter and crash of their interlocking horns echoing through the forest like some discord. which are castanets.
The couple gave the giants names, such as Left Hook, Swagger or Grumpy, based on physical characteristics or personality.
A cow, a female moose, is likely to charge as a bull, especially if he realized that his offspring were in danger. “Mom will go into protect mode,” Mr. Libbey said.
Mr. Libbey said that in his decades of documenting moose, he has been “charged” several times. A cow was once charged with Ms. Libbey, who said he hid behind a curly “Charlie Brown tree,” but it was big enough to work.
If you are in the woods and faced with an aggressive moose, try to get behind a tree, a rock or other obstacle. The moose wants you to leave and probably won’t chase you very far, said Mr. Libbey.
Henry Jones, moose project leader at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, advises against cornering a moose. Make sure it has a way out, he said.
If you fall to the ground, the The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advised: “Curl into a ball, protect your head with your hands, and lie down. Do not move or attempt to get up until the moose is a safe distance away or it may renew its attack.”
Although its horns, at four to five feet in diameter, can be formidable, its legs pose the greatest danger. A moose will stand up like a horse and lunge forward with its powerful front legs, Mr. Libbey said.
How strong? Mr. Kantar said he saw footage of a moose stomping a snowmobile to pieces.
Keep your dogs close.
If you’re hiking with your dog where moose are known to roam, keep your pet on a leash because moose consider dogs to be wolves and, therefore, threats.
Generally, moose aren’t afraid, Mr. Libbey said, but added, “Man, a wolf is something that’s going to freak them out.”
By late winter, moose have burned through their fat reserves and don’t want to expend more energy traversing deep snow. As moose find the path of least resistance by moving over broken or well-maintained trails, skiers, snowmobilers and sledders have an improved chance of encountering it, Mr. Kantar said.
Things usually get messy when a “person gets stupid” and gets too close to a moose, Mr. Kantar said.
“The safest distance,” he says, “is to use a pair of binoculars.”
