Cranky moose attacks dog walker on Alaska trail — then the dog steps in, troopers say

Brooke Baitinger
·2 min read
226

An ornery moose attacked a dog walker without warning on an Alaska trail, but the man was saved when the dog stepped in, state troopers said.

The man and dog had just emerged from the trees near an intersection on the Tsalteshi Trails system in Soldotna on Dec. 18 when the moose charged and knocked him to the ground “without notice,” troopers said in a news release.

The moose kicked the man multiple times before the dog was able to scare it away, and he managed to scramble to a nearby tree and snowbank, troopers said.

From there, he ran back to a trailhead and went to the hospital, troopers and the trail association said on Facebook.

“He’s bruised but it sounds like he’s OK,” the association said.

It’s unclear if the dog ran with him, but the trail association later confirmed the dog was unharmed.

There were three more moose near the intersection of Wolverine and Bear trails where the man was walking, troopers said. Trail association officials warned the public to avoid the area for the rest of the day, as the group of moose would likely remain 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!” officials said. “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.”

Moose can become more aggressive in winter when they’re hungry, tired of walking in deep snow or they’ve been harassed by people, dogs, or traffic, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website. They also consider dogs “enemies” and will even go out of their way to kick at one.

Several people pointed out in the comments section that dogs and walkers are not allowed on that part of the trail system during the winter.

“The man who had the moose incident shouldn’t have been walking with a dog where he was (but that is immaterial to the moose run-in and we’re glad he’s OK!)” officials said.

The Tsalteshi Trails system is tucked inside the Kenai Peninsula Borough, about 150 miles southwest of Anchorage. The trails are used for skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, running and walking.

“Thank goodness for his doggy,” someone said. “Glad he is okay.”

What to know about moose

Moose are protective animals and will defend their territory and their young.

If someone encounters a moose, they should give it space to leave, wildlife officials said. People shouldn’t try to haze a moose to move out of the way.

Wildlife officials said people should do the following if a moose charges:

  • Run away quickly

  • Put a tree, rock or other large object between them and the moose

  • Get up quickly if knocked down

  • Report the incident to wildlife officials as soon as possible

‘Protective’ moose tramples hiker on trail with barking dog, Colorado officials say

Protective moose stomps on Colorado man walking his dogs. ‘Doing her job as a mom’

Aggressive, ‘drooling profusely’ moose has disease never seen in its species in Alaska