Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Snowmobilers encountered angry moose

A run-in with an angry moose ended without injury for a pair of New Hampshire snowmobilers. Janis and Bob Powell saw the moose while snowmobiling outside Jackson, Maine, on Friday. They followed it on a trail for a few minutes, but it then came to halt.



"His fur was standing up, his ears were back, his head went low and [we] definitely knew something was up," Janis said. The moose stomped toward her husband, forcing him to duck behind his snowmobile.





"The only thing I could think of what I had to put between myself and the moose, and unfortunately that was just the snowmobile," Bob said. The moose charged again and Bob Powell ran to his wife's snowmobile, narrowly missing a headbutt from the animal. Janis then fired a warning shot into the air.


YouTube link.

"I knew what size gun I had and that I might make it even more angry," she said. But the moose then trotted off. Neither it nor the Powells were injured. "We both have a new appreciated for moose and wildlife in general and will definitely be keeping more of a distance," Janis added.

You can see the full original video here.

2 comments:

SteveC said...

In my opinion if you encounter a wild animal somewhere, stop and let it go about its business. Don't go at speed behind it. They may have thought they were 'sharing the road' but the moose may have thought they were chasing it. (which going by the video they may have been)



MH said...

I agree with Steve. I figured the moose thought they were persuing it and it decided to defend itself because it couldn't (or was tired of) outrun them. Watching it I was surprised they didn't have the sense to give it more space, it was scared and stressed; so they either knew that and didn't care or are just so oblivious that they never care.