A close encounter with an angry moose served as a frightening reminder for one cyclist about the dangers of wildlife when their young are nearby.
A reporter and cameraman with a local television station in Alaska filmed the moose lunging at the cyclist, knocking him off his bike.
Andrew Eker told the KTVA Alaska reporter he had cycled on the trail in Anchorage many times, but had never had an encounter like the one he had with the moose on Tuesday.
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He said later that he did not have a concussion, but was told to stay off his bike for “a few days.”
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Reporter Joe Vigil said he and cameraman Jarez Masurek had finished filming in the area and were about to drive off when another cyclist alerted them that the moose was “attacking a rider.”
The pair drove their station vehicle in between the moose and the cyclist.
Vigil said he initially didn’t want to move the cyclist for fear that he may have suffered a back injury. Once he and his cameraman determined Eker was OK, the pair ushered him into the back seat of the car.
Eker told the reporter that his memory of the incident was foggy.
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When asked how he fell, the 78-year-old replied: “I don’t even remember.”
Vigil asked if the moose had hit him, to which Eker replied: “No, I don’t even remember.”
Eker declined any additional help, but cellphone video shot by the KTVA reporter shows the animal lunged at the vehicle as it drove alongside the cyclist in an attempt to shield him from the angry animal’s advances.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has now put up construction cones and tape to stop people from cycling on the trail.
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