(David Meredith)

By Sheldon Spackman

Anders On The Lake

Red Deer man chased up a tree in local bull moose encounter

Jan 5, 2023 | 7:20 AM

A Red Deer man is reminding fellow residents of keeping wildlife safety in mind while out in natural areas or for that matter, even residential and suburban areas.

David Meredith, a resident of Anders on the Lake in southeast Red Deer, was out for a walk in his neighbourhood Tuesday evening around 8 p.m. when he encountered a bull moose nibbling trees around the lake.

Meredith says he simply stopped and observed the moose at first.

“Then it obviously thought I was a threat and came at me and chased me up a tree,” he exclaimed. “So I sat up in a tree for probably about 20 minutes, filming him grunting and moaning at me.”

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Meredith was quite surprised at the moose’s agility.

“It probably covered about 100 feet within seconds,” he recalled. “It made eye contact as I was taking photos from a distance, and then it made a bluff charge at me, came screaming at me and that’s when I ran up a tree.”

From there, Meredith says he continued filming the moose from up in the tree for roughly 10 minutes as the bull moose displayed further intimidation tactics.

“He was using his antlers in roughing the trees and grunting and pawing at the snow; showing off basically. It was pretty incredible to tell you the truth.”

Meredith speculates many people may not understand the dangers associated with big game such as moose.

“They’re beautiful to watch, but keep in mind they’re wild animals and some are aggressive as I sure found out myself.”

Meredith further suggests it would be a good idea for residents to keep their dogs and children close by, in case of encounters like his.

“There were dogs that were barking at it and it was definitely getting quite irate; you could see it acting up,” he explains. “I’m not sure if that’s what provoked him at first, but there were dogs barking around the lake at him and he got agitated.”

“I’m not sure if he took it out on me or whatever,” continued Meredith. “But the same thing goes for small kids; there’s no reason for them to be playing by themselves in forested areas. So parents, keep an eye on them. Animals are out there.”

Mike Ewald, Provincial Problem Wildlife Specialist with Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Services says it’s important for residents to always be aware of their surroundings.

“Don’t just have earbuds in and blinders on when hiking or jogging the trails, and keep an eye out for these animals,” he explains. “When they’re around, everybody likes to see them, but all of these trees in urban areas is also the best feed for moose. That’s what they feed on is the branches of all the willows and poplars and definitely all the fruit trees and lilacs that are in yards.”

Ewald says moose are normally not aggressive. but when dogs are around, for example, it could make a moose think one of their natural predators, such as a wolf, is nearby, further agitating them.

“It does stress them out so, and when a moose gets stressed, you never know what’s going to tip it over the edge,” warns Ewald.

He says the best thing to do if a moose chases you is to run and try to seek safety behind a structure of some kind to create separation.

“Get behind a tree, get behind a car or a house or a building. Just get out of their path,” says Ewald. “But try to prevent that charge from happening. Don’t get close to it, don’t approach it; give it the space and distance they deserve.”

“If their ears are up and they’re just looking at you, that’s normal, natural behaviour of a moose. But if the hairs on their neck and the shoulders are standing up and their ears are laid back, that’s some pretty common language that’s pretty universal,” he continues. “And definitely if their eyes are bloodshot and they’re snorting, they’re definitely speaking some pretty clear language that you are too close.”