Let this be a lesson in not messing with wildlife. Especially big, threatening wildlife that’s not in its usual habitat.
A woman in Colorado made the unfortunate mistake of approaching a moose that was grazing on a tree on the side of a residential street in Breckenridge last week.
Video footage of the close encounter was shared on Instagram, showing the woman walking towards the moose twice, attempting to touch its rump.
“That girl’s an idiot,” a person can be heard saying in the background. “You’re an idiot.”
The second approach nearly turned dangerous as the moose lifted onto its back legs, nearly hitting the woman with its front legs.
In the background, an older woman is seen attempting to cross the street. At the end of the video, a man gets out of his truck and walks toward her.
Anna Stonehouse, an adventure photographer, captured the moment and shared it to her Instagram account. “Can’t fix stupid,” she captioned the video.
Most people witnessing it, Stonehouse said, were horrified to see the unidentified woman “aggressively” following the moose across the street.
“I thought it was pretty shocking and everyone else around did, too,” she told FOX31. “We all wanted to keep our distance and get away and let the moose do its thing. To see someone act that way, it seemed very childish and inappropriate and ignorant.”
The Town of Breckenridge Police Department shared further information about the close call on their official Facebook account, writing that the person has been found by officers.
“We will be sharing all information with Colorado Parks and Wildlife,” the post reads. “We are seeing all the videos of the moose in town and would like to inform the public that harassing wildlife is a misdemeanor and you will receive a ticket.”
While most in the comments section of the Instagram post agree that the person was silly to get near the moose, one commenter pointed out that she was coming to the aid of a person nearby.
“She very clearly put her life in danger to help that older lady,” they wrote.
Another commented: “It did look like she was trying to steer the young moose away from the older woman. Not safe but maybe she calculated the risks.”
While it’s tough to tell the woman’s true intentions from the brief video, in the end she was cited for harassment of wildlife, which can carry a fine of up to US$200.
—