A man sustained multiple injuries on Monday afternoon when he was attacked by two moose on the Tsalteshi Trail system.
According to reports from the Alaska State Troopers and the Tsalteshi Trails Organization, the man was walking his dog near the intersection of Wolverine trail and Bear trail around 2:30 PM Monday when the moose attacked. The man told officials he was just coming off the single track when he was charged and knocked down, then kicked by two moose. He added that there were other moose in the area as well, and later AST reported there were a total of four moose in the vicinity of the attack.
The man was kicked multiple times but managed to escape behind a tree and a snowbank near the Wolverine trailhead. Meanwhile, his dog barked at and chased the moose away.
Troopers reported he was able to leave the area under his own power and transported himself to the hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Tsalteshi Trails Organization asked trail goers to avoid the area for the rest of the day, stating in a social media post, “The moose are likely still stressed. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell where they’ll go from here, so be on the lookout in the future and give moose lots of space! If this is the same cranky cow from this summer, she doesn’t have much patience for people yelling at her or trying to get her to move.”
In the same post, the organization also reminded visitors to the trail system of specific winter rules that should be followed. “All trails from Wolverine (K-Beach) and Skyview are closed to walking and dogs in the winter. Snowshoeing is allowed on the single-track trails from Wolverine and Skyview. Walking and dogs (plus biking, kick sleds and skiing) are allowed on our Slikok Multi-Use Trails in the winter.”
Alaska State Troopers notified both Fish and Game as well as the Tsalteshi Trails Organization of the incident.
