When a man had a chance encounter with a moose, he didn’t anticipate that the animal would charge at him. The large moose ran toward him in a brief clip, and now wildlife parks are using the footage to warn others.
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department shared a video this month in hopes of alerting the public about the dangers of standing too close to animals while in their natural habitat.
Distributed via their Twitter page, the footage showed users just how quickly an animal could charge. The incident between a wild moose and the park-goer occurred in Clear Creek County.
Moose sticks its head out from behind the tree seconds before it charges towards the person recording it | Photo: Twitter/CPW_NE
TOO CLOSE TO THE MOOSE
What started as a peaceful video quickly escalated as the animal ran toward the park-goer. The post was captioned: “This video is an example of being too close to a bull moose and how quickly they can decide to charge on you.”
Many users were concerned about the park-goer’s condition, and thankfully the CPW later added that there were no injuries. They said: “This person managed to get behind a tree and the moose hit that.”
MOOSE SAFETY TIPS
The CPW attached a few helpful safety tips for nature lovers that often find themselves in the great outdoors. The department noted that there are several signs to look out for when encountering moose.
People should look to see if their ears or hairs are raised. If the animal is licking its snout, this could also be a potential warning sign as these are all indicators of aggression.
ONLINE REACTION
Like the person in the video, if people come face-to-face with a moose, they should try to hide behind a big tree or rock. The animal will likely charge into that instead. Moose can remain peaceful around humans, but if threatened, they will charge.
While the video of the charging moose was just over 30 seconds long, it was enough to garner a massive online reaction. One user commented: “As a Canadian, I know for sure that person filming was WAY too close to that moose.”
BEHAVING IN THE WILD
Another added their opinion and said: “Now people would run up to it and try to get a selfie with it. Common sense is very much an endangered species.”
Regardless, animals encounters in the wild are common. There are a few simple pointers on how humans can behave in the wild to handle dangerous situations.
A Moose is captured in the middle of a forest | Photo: Pexels/cmonphotography
LIFE-SAVING TIPS
It is suggested that if you come face to face with a wild animal, you try to make yourself look bigger. This might deter animals such as bears. Another piece of advice is to move away from wild animals slowly.
Avoid approaching the animal at all costs and don’t make any loud or sudden movements. These tips might be simple, but they were the reason some people survived terrifying encounters.