It's important to give wild animals space when you encounter them. But what happens when you find yourself too close to a moose?
A video reposted by Tourons of National Parks (@touronsofnationalparks) is from the perspective of a person facing just that issue.
The person recording the video kept telling the moose to leave — and then it suddenly charged at them; the video cuts off abruptly.
Many users responded with confusion and outrage. One person even said that they were on "Team moose."
But another Instagram user said that the person recording the video "was scouting and putting up game cameras for up coming whitetail deer season" and included a link to an article about the encounter.
According to Outdoor Life, the original poster was Caleb Lewis, a 27-year-old hunter in Aroostook County, Maine. He was indeed trying to hang up hunting cameras and was interrupted by one of three male moose that were pursuing a female moose.
"It all happened so fast, it sort of caught me off guard," Lewis told Outdoor Life. "He walked downwind of me, and he must have smelled me. But he didn't care. When they're in the rut like that, they just don't care. … Needless to say, I did not get the cameras hung up."
What Lewis did was generally how you should deal with a moose if it ever gets that close to you. The Appalachian Mountain Club does, however, recommend reacting earlier if possible.
If the moose licks its lips or shows the whites of its eyes, as the moose in the video did, or changes its behavior as it approaches, try to keep your distance. If it charges, running is your best defense.
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Absolutely 👍 Leaving wildlife alone will keep you safe and maintain the safety of the animals. Wild animals that interact with humans, especially if the animals hurt someone or if they repeatedly engage with humans, are at risk of being euthanized.
As much as we may love our furry and feathered friends, appreciating them at a distance is beneficial for all of us.
Several users responded jokingly to Lewis' (@allagash.antlers) original video.
"Moose has been side eyeing you for five business days dude," one person said.
"Once moosey licked his lips, I knew it was over," another user replied.
Someone on the Tourons of National Parks page took a more serious tone, writing, "Why in the world did this guy have a death wish or something?"
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