Moose headbutts and stomps on woman who was walking her dog in Colorado
Wildlife officials in Colorado are investigating after a moose attacked and injured a woman and her dog on Wednesday.
A cow moose charged at the woman while she was walking her dog along the South Saint Vrain Trail north of the town of Ward, which is outside Boulder, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Department said in a news release. The moose headbutted the woman and stomped on her multiple times.
The woman, whose name has not been released, walked to a neighbor's house and contacted local authorities before she was taken to a nearby hospital, officials said. Authorties did not release any information about the extent of her injuries. The woman said the dog, which sustained minor injuries in the attack, was leashed when the attack happened.
Wildlife officers could not locate the moose in the aftermath of the incident. They put signs near the trail to warn visitors of a potentially aggressive moose in the area.
Moose can sometimes view dogs as threats, said Colorado Parks and Wildlife, noting that the department advises anyone hiking in areas where the animals could be close by should keep their dogs on leashes at all times. Cow moose can respond aggressively when their calf is around.
Wednesday's moose attack came just days after a moose in Colorado charged and trampled a hiker whose dog started barking at the animal while walking along a trail. Officials said at the time that the hikers "were able to get the moose off and tried to run away, but the moose continued to chase after them down the trail."
In June, a Colorado man was also knocked down and trampled by a cow moose, which "stomped on him several times" as he rounded a hairpin turn along Coal Creek Canyon while walking two off-leash dogs. Wildlife officials said the cow moose was with her calf when she charged the man, who sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening. The dogs were not injured.