A group of skiers and snowboarders learned a lesson in moose etiquette this month after an angry bull gave chase when they got too close for comfort.
Photographer Lauren Drogsvold caught the dramatic encounter at the Breckenridge Ski Resort was caught on film after a day on the slopes. Drogsvold told the Summit Daily that she was finishing skiing for the day about 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 when she found a group of people clamoring around a large bull moose.
Drogsvold had taken out her phone to take a picture when the moose approached the crowd. Her video, shot while fleeing from the moose, shows the large bull chasing the crowd of gawkers down the run.
Drogsvold told the Summit that she dove off the trail and hid behind a tree. The newspaper reports that no one was injured in the encounter.
Still, it’s a reminder that despite their somewhat comic appearance, moose are wild animals and don’t take kindly to humans getting too close.
“If you see a moose, you don’t walk up to it, you don’t approach it,” Drogsvold told the Summit. “You get the hell away from there and leave them alone.”
[Mama moose charges cyclist, news van]
According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, an agitated moose gives plenty of warning signs letting you know when to back off. Those range from laying its ears back, the hair on the back of the neck and above the hips standing up, smacking its lips, tossing its head back, or even urinating on itself. Those are all signs that the moose wants some space and for you to give it some.
If the moose becomes aggressive and gives chase, the Appalachian Mountain Club has some advice.
“An aggressive, confrontational moose is trying to do one thing: drive you off. So if a moose approaches you, back away. If it charges, RUN! Do not stand your ground. If possible, place a tree or other nearby object between you and the moose as you retreat. Once the moose has driven you far enough away, it will leave you alone,” according to the Appalachian Mountain Club.