People Seen Petting & Feeding Moose In Grand Lake

GRAND LAKE, Colo. (CBS4) - Give them space: that's the message from Colorado Parks and Wildlife after people were found petting and (illegally) feeding multiple moose in downtown Grand Lake.

Officers were first called to the Grand Avenue Boardwalk for a cow moose and her yearling in front of a restaurant. Officers say they saw people getting dangerously close and feeding them.

"Caution and common sense go a long way in preventing injury or death to humans and wildlife," CPW said.

After that incident, CPW says a different, abandoned yearling laid down in front of some businesses and some porches. They received reports of people feeding and petting that animal as well.

They found the yearling, recognized its comfortability with humans, and decided to relocate it to a remote location out of town.

"Moose are common in Grand Lake throughout the year. It's not uncommon to see them on or near the Grand Avenue Boardwalk, and the swim beach at Grand Lake," said District Wildlife Manager Serena Rocksund.

CPW offers the following reminders:

Give them space:
If you encounter a moose, give them space and time to move. Do not attempt to move the moose. Not only is it dangerous, but this is also considered harassment and is illegal. If a moose has laid-back ears, pawing the ground, licks its snout, or changes its direction to face you, you're too close and need to back away.
How close is too close? Extend your arm out as far as it can go and hold up your thumb as though you are giving the moose a thumbs-up sign. If you cannot cover the moose with your entire thumb, you are too close and need to slowly back away from the moose.

Recreate responsibly:
When enjoying the outdoors or taking your dog(s) on their walk, remember to keep them leashed at all times. Dogs allowed to run off-leash are at substantial risk of being injured or killed by animals trying to defend themselves from what they perceive as a predator. If your dog happens to encounter a moose, the thousand-pound animal will aggressively try to stomp on your dog. If the dog runs back to you, or you go after your dog in an attempt to catch them, you are at risk of being severely injured as well.

Feeding wildlife is illegal:
Not only is it illegal, but it is also very harmful to their health. Wildlife has a complex digestive system that is not adapted to handle human food. When people intentionally place or distribute food that does not naturally occur in the animals' habitat, such as carrots, birdseed, hay, or salt blocks, it can lead to illness or death.