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Hiker next to a moose
Moose probably aren’t the first animals to spring to mind when it comes to the list of creatures you don’t want to encounter in the wild. However, they have the potential to turn an enjoyable excursion into a scary situation, and one man recently learned that the hard way while hiking in Colorado.
I feel like most people would put bears, snakes, and mountain lions toward the top of the list of wild animals they want to avoid crossing paths with while roaming the outdoors. However, there are plenty of others that can also pose a threat, including one of the biggest ones you’ll ever encounter: moose.
Those massive mammals can be found in the majority of states in the northern part of America, although there are only around a dozen that boast a significant documented population.
That includes Colorado, which is currently home to more than 3,000 moose that have kept that number rising by fostering “one of the fastest-growing populations in the lower 48 states.” It has also experienced a rise in the number of attacks involving humans, and one man who was visiting has added to that tally.
A man from Rhode Island was injured after being kicked by a moose while hiking in Colorado
Elk firmly outnumber moose when it comes to the most prominent hoofed species Colorado has to offer.
With that said, the latter is responsible for more attacks on people “than by any other species of wildlife” in the state and can do some significant damage when rubbed the wrong way.
According to the South County Star, Dean Felicetti and his wife Rose recently made the trek from Rhode Island to Colorado to visit their son, Gabriel, who lives just outside of Boulder in the town of Louisville.
The family decided to take advantage of the many hiking options the area has to offer by embarking on a short trek to gear up for a 10-mile excursion later in the week. However, they encountered an unanticipated sight while descending from the climb: a baby moose that was accompanied by its significantly larger mother.
The trio came face-to-face with the animals at a narrow switchback that provided limited options to retreat, and Dean says his wife “jumped up a tree” as he threw his trekking pole at the bigger moose in an unsuccessful attempt to ward it off.
He subsequently turned around and was treated with a kick to the back, which was forceful enough to form a “bruise in the shape of a hoof print” (which makes sense when you consider they can generate up to 1,300 pounds of force with kicks that can kill an animal).
The protective mom proceeded to step on him after he was knocked to the ground, but it eventually fled the scene after Gabriel began pelting it with rocks.
Dean suffered a significant cut to the leg but benefited from a stroke of luck after a physician assistant who was hiking in the vicinity and witnessed the scene intervened to administer first aid. He was able to walk two more miles to the trailhead, and he ended up going to the emergency room for some stitches.