Video shows moose charging toward woman multiple times to protect calves in Colorado

Moose will do nearly anything to protect their young — and a Colorado video shows it.

A woman was recently at a park near Silverton and Ouray when a moose started running toward her, a video shared by Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows.

The moose sprinted in circles around the area and charged the woman multiple times, the video shows. Wildlife officials said the moose likely had calves nearby.

“Reminder, moose will defend themselves and their young aggressively,” officials said June 14 on Twitter. “The cow moose was suspected to have calves nearby and charged a woman multiple times.”

The woman screamed at the moose to get back and ran behind nearby trees to protect herself.

Moose attacks in Colorado are increasing, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. They are protective animals and will defend their territory and their young.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife knows of at least 15 moose conflicts since 2013 where people have been injured. Dogs were involved in almost all of those conflicts, wildlife officials said.

This summer, at least three people have been attacked by moose.

On June 8, a sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a moose after it attacked two people and a dog. A 31-year-old man was left with serious injuries from the attack, McClatchy News reported.

A woman was also trampled by a moose on May 26 while she was running on a trail near Breckenridge, officials said.

“The runner was focused on the trail and looking down at her feet,” district wildlife manager Jacob Kay said in a news release. “When she looked up, she saw the moose, which immediately charged her and eventually trampled her.”

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

“Not only is it dangerous, but this is also considered harassment and is illegal,” officials said. “If a moose has laid-back ears, pawing the ground, licks its snout, or changes its direction to face you, you’re too close and need to back away.”

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

• If injured, seek medical help

• Report the incident to wildlife officials as soon as possible

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 9:41 AM with the headline "Video shows moose charging toward woman multiple times to protect calves in Colorado."