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Here in Finland we have plenty of moose. I used to take pictures of them and observe their life in the 00's. Still to this day i like to go out to the same areas and observe them but i don't take pictures right now because i don't have a proper digital camera. I also put out salt blocks to them. I have permission from the farmer who owns the land to do this. During my years of observing them i have never been even close to be attacked. And this includes being very close to bull moose's during the rut season. I've noticed that they alway choose to flee rather than attack. But i've also read that moose attacks in Yellowstone National Park are very common.
Have you ever been close to be attacked by a moose or actually been attacked by one?
I think it is more of an issue here in the USA as Moose habitat is declining and there is more contact with humans. the natural fear of Humans is being lost. the end result is more attacks.
Having grown up in the Maine woods, I have encountered hundreds of moose without any type of incident. Once when my family was camping we were wakened by an animal sniffing and nudging our tent. Assuming it may be a bear, my Dad cocked his gun and was prepared to shoot. The noise we made scared it off and when we got out we found moose tracks everywhere.
It was not uncommon to see them standing in our driveway. When approached, they simply walk away. Moose are just curious. The only reason you may have heard of an attack is because it is so rare.
I think it is more of an issue here in the USA as Moose habitat is declining and there is more contact with humans. the natural fear of Humans is being lost. the end result is more attacks.
I would nitpick just a bit by specifically disagreeing that a moose in its prime has a natural fear of anything except maybe wolves.
To the OP, I think that sensationalized accounts of how dangerous moose are generally result from broad exposure to tourists who have extremely, extremely limited experience with animals larger than a housecat and they learned how to read large animals while watching Disney movies.
Note that I'm certainly not saying that I think it's a good idea to seek out moose encounters because they can be very unpredictable and sometimes they simply DO have mean bones in their bodies, but they can be observed safely most of the time as long as neither you nor the moose is surprised.
I would nitpick just a bit by specifically disagreeing that a moose in its prime has a natural fear of anything except maybe wolves.
To the OP, I think that sensationalized accounts of how dangerous moose are generally result from broad exposure to tourists who have extremely, extremely limited experience with animals larger than a housecat and they learned how to read large animals while watching Disney movies.
Note that I'm certainly not saying that I think it's a good idea to seek out moose encounters because they can be very unpredictable and sometimes they simply DO have mean bones in their bodies, but they can be observed safely most of the time as long as neither you nor the moose is surprised.
Agree with all you say.
Overall it simply is not wise to mess with any animal you have no knowledge of. That includes city fishermen who think it is safe to cut across Farmer Jone's Cow pasture.
I believe they are at least up near the Arctic Circle but I think they call them Elk.
Quote:
The moose (North America) or Eurasian elk (Europe) (Alces alces) is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic ("twig-like") configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal and mixed deciduous forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates. Moose used to have a much wider range but hunting and other human activities greatly reduced it over the years. Moose have been reintroduced to some of their former habitats. Currently, most moose are found in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia.
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