ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Department of Fish and Game Biologist Dave Battle said he’s responded to aggressive and injured moose this winter as more of the animals make their way into town to avoid deep snow.
Battle said that the exhausted moose are struggling to get the calories they need to survive, and many of them are stressed.
“They might be starting to get hangry,” Battle said. “They don’t have a lot of nutrition, and so that just gives them a short fuse.”
The department hasn’t received any reports of people being hurt by moose this winter — although some have been charged — but on Monday a moose killed a dog in East Anchorage. Battle said it happened in the owner’s fenced backyard when he let his two dogs outside, not knowing that a moose was there.
“The dogs were apparently out for about 10 minutes before anything happened,” Battle said. “Then he heard one of his dogs start hollering and he got out there, and he was able to get the dog away from the moose, you know the moose was stomping it, and he got it to the vet but it had to be euthanized at the vet.”
By the time Fish and Game responded, the moose was gone from the yard, although Battle suspects a nearby moose was the one involved. Battle said that the moose was not aggressive toward humans in any way, so they let it be.
The department is warning people to be aware they are more likely to encounter moose on trails, on the roads and in their neighborhoods. Battle said the best advice is to give moose a wide berth and keep a close eye on dogs. He added that although moose are hungry, people should not be feeding them.
“It’s illegal because it’s a public safety concern,” he said. “If moose get used to being hand-fed they expect it, and if the next person doesn’t hand-feed them they get stomped.”
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