The Alaska Department of Fish and Game is advising residents to be on the lookout for moose moving to the roads and trails to escape the snow. Due to recent snowfall, wind, and rain events in Southcentral and Interior Alaska, numerous reports were received indicating that moose are exhibiting aggressive behavior towards people and pets, citing their levels of stress from dealing with the deep snow and struggling to find enough easily accessible food during the cold weather. Fish and Game officials are advising residents to exercise extreme caution when encountering moose this winter.
The first tip that ADF&G says to keep in mind is to give moose plenty of space as they are using the roads and trails much more than normal in order to avoid walking through the deep snow. Be extremely cautious when trying to navigate around moose. If one is blocking your road or trail, try to find an alternative route or wait for them to move out of the way. Crowding a moose that is on a slick road surface could cause it to fall and become injured, creating an even bigger problem.
In addition, keep dogs on a leash or under control as dogs are more likely to bark at and chase moose which can cause the moose to exert energy and they may not be able to recover given the snow levels and cold temperatures. If moose are agitated, they may also charge at and attack the dog causing serious injury or death. If you are nearby and a moose attacks your dog, the moose may also attack you.
Third, be very careful in trying to scare moose away as moose do not react to any sort of hazing in the same way that bears, and other wildlife react. A common reaction for moose is to turn and attack the person or vehicle that is trying to get them to move away. Moose have been known to attack vehicles, snowmachines, and people who are trying to get them to move out of the way or off a road or trail. The added stress to the animals will only contribute to increased mortalities.
The fourth piece of advice is to avoid feeding moose. People may be tempted to ‘help’ moose by feeding them, but this does more harm than good. It doesn’t matter if it’s feeding by hand, or if the food is left out for them. Feeding moose is dangerous and illegal and may put people at serious risk of injury. Moose become aggressive when defending a food source, and can develop the expectation of being fed.
Lastly, if you encounter a moose, leave it alone and give them plenty of space, according to ADF&G. if a moose looks sick or injured but is still able to move around and feed, then its best chance of survival is to leave it alone. If there’s an obvious broken leg or other severe injury or if the moose has been laying in the same place for more than 24 hours and can’t seem to get up, then call your local ADF&G office to report.
If the moose is causing a public safety issue call your local Alaska State Troopers office.
