Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Such apparent tameness may sometimes result from disease, but in other cases there's no known
reason. In any event, this sort of docility represents aberrant behavior in moose, which generally shy
away from close human contact. It is true, however, that moose may become accustomed to humans
in certain situations and ignore them unless they approach too closely. Ponds frequented in summer
by both moose and people in boats are a good example. In that sort of setting, a moose may allow a
boat and its occupants to come within a hundred feet or so without any evidence of concern. In nearby
woods, however, the same moose will flee from humans at a far greater distance.
Even in situations where moose are acclimated to human proximity, too close an approach can be
dangerous. The owner of a fishing camp in northern Maine, where boats routinely come reasonably
near feeding moose without difficulty, told me about one unfortunate incident in which two or three
fishermen in a boat decided to get considerably closer to a feeding moose than they should have, for
the purpose of obtaining some good photos. Without warning, the moose charged them and overturned
their boat. A great thrashing about of moose and men ensued in the shallow water. Luckily the men
escaped serious harm, but they emerged from the water with a much healthier respect for moose!
There are also cases where moose are not at all tolerant of human presence. Sometimes the reason
for aggressive moose behavior is unknown (unpredictability strikes again), but cows with calves can be
very protective of their young, and hence highly dangerous; it's especially perilous to come between a
moose and her calf.
Bulls in rut, stoked by rampant testosterone levels, are also very dangerous—as I well know from
personal experience. My most terrifying encounter with a wild animal involved a bull moose, and it
happened in this fashion.
I was staying at the aforementioned fishing camp during late September, near the height of the
moose's mating season. One day it was raining and too windy to fish. Feeling overfed and underexer-
cised, I set out for a brisk walk of several miles on the road, owned by a paper company, that provides
access to the camps. About halfway back to camp there was a large clearcut on the right of the road
and woods on the left. On the left, between the woods and the road, stood a dense growth of tall brush
whose thick foliage totally obscured a view of anything within.
I was walking rapidly, when suddenly a soft but deep grunt sounded almost in my left ear. Instantly
I realized what it was and thought,
Oh God, not that!
Before I could even react, a second grunt, almost
piglike, followed, and then the bushes next to me began to move. I'll readily confess that I panicked. I
should have run down the road, cut into the woods on the left, and climbed a tree. Instead, I did what
instinct told me to do and fled directly away from the sound, straight into the big clearcut on my right.
Bad move!
After running about a hundred yards, I glanced back. To my horror, there was a large bull moose with
wide antlers coming after me! In that instant, I was certain that I was a dead man and was terrified bey-
ond words. There was nothing large enough to climb in the clearcut, but there were a few little clumps
of brush here and there. I bobbed and weaved though three or four of these, all the while circling back
