Two separate moose attacks last weekend led to a bull moose being euthanized on Saturday, just east of Aspen.
The first attack occurred Thursday morning in a winter closure area. Alfred Braun, a 78-year-old Aspen resident, and his daughter were uphilling with their dogs. The aggressive moose knocked Braun to the ground and tried to trample him. He was able to fight off the attack using his ski pole. Luckily, he walked away with only minor bruises and scrapes.
The second unprovoked attack occurred Saturday afternoon. A couple vacationing from California was walking in a residential neighborhood before their flight home. The moose came “from out of nowhere” according to Wendy Zavilla. Michael Zavilla, 59, was knocked to the ground. “The moose charged at us both, causing me to take a bad fall on the road and charging at my husband, butting him to the ground and then stomping on his leg with his front hooves before running down the road,” she said. Michael sustained a knee injury, but the couple was still able to make their evening flight home.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agents investigated. Shortly after the Saturday attack, CPW located an aggressive bull moose in the area. Two officers stood outside of their truck and observed the animal when it suddenly charged from 100-yards away. The agents took cover in the vehicle. The moose charged a second time when they got out of the truck, and one of the agents shot the moose.
Mike Porras, a spokesman for CPW, said the outcome was unavoidable. CPW has a strict policy that any moose that attacks a human must be put down. CPW did not feel relocating the moose was an option. “Agents would have simply been moving a dangerous animal to a different area, perhaps causing a problem for another community,” Porras said.
“They felt that moose was a clear threat to human safety,” Porras continued. “Had they left it, it is very likely this moose would have injured or killed somebody not long after, based on its behavior.”
CPW later said that they do not believe the same moose is involved in both incidents. Based on scat in the area, they think the moose put down was only responsible for the Saturday attack.
This winter has been a rough one for Colorado wildlife. After a blizzard and record numbers of avalanches around the state, moose are moving closer to humans to get out of the deep snow. The stress could be a cause for the rise in aggressive moose behavior.
CPW released a video last fall detailing how to avoid moose attacks.
Have you ever encountered an aggressive moose?
