A 79-year-old woman was stomped on by a wild moose in the yard of a Colorado residence.
According to Yahoo! News, The woman was dog sitting in the Glenwood Springs area. When took the dog outside on a leash when she was attacked. She had seen the moose in the yard earlier in the day, but was under the impression it was no longer in the area when she let the dog out.
“When the woman no longer saw the moose in the area later that evening and believed it to be safe, she took the dog out on a leash in the yard. That is when the attack occurred.”
A neighbor reportedly witnessed the moose repeatedly stomping on the poor lady.
Wildlife officials in the state said the woman was not provoking the moose and that she is not to blame for the incident.
“This incident was no fault of her own. Conflicts with moose can happen, even when you follow best practices for living in moose habitat.”
It was apparently a mother moose with two calves in tow. When it comes to wildlife, mother animals are often times more aggressive than usual in situations in which they feel like their off spring is threatened.
Several moose have been seen frequenting the area where the attack took place, so identifying the specific moose responsible has proven difficult for wildlife officials. Numbers indicate that moose attacks in Colorado are increasing.
Since 2013 there have been at least 15 conflicts between people and moose where injuries occurred. Dogs were involved in all most all of them.
“When people, dogs and a defensive moose interact there is a significant risk of serious injuries to humans and pets.
In addition, because CPW officers will act to protect the public in any wildlife conflict, it could lead to the death of a moose.”
No updates on the condition of the woman have been made available, but getting trampled by a moose can be very dangerous. Just last week someone else in Colorado narrowly escaped being trampled by a charging moose by ducking behind a tree at the last second, which is apparently exactly what you’re supposed to do when being charged by a moose.
Most people don’t realize just how big moose are, but they can reach heights of over 6 feet tall and typically weigh somewhere between 800 and 1,200 pounds.
State officials did share some insight on how to identify an aggressive moose and what to do if you find yourself in danger of being charged by one.
“If a moose starts getting aggressive, it could have laid-back ears, hair on its neck raised and start licking its snout. Hikers should keep pets away and avoid animals that are acting abnormally.
If a moose displays aggressive behavior or begins to charge, run as fast as you can and try to put a large object between you such as a boulder, car or tree.
While moose encounters with people are quite common, moose cause few problem.”
