Medicine Hat, AB – There seems to be some moose on the loose here in Medicine Hat.
More specifically, there’s two. A mama cow and her young calf.
Medicine Hat Fish and Wildlife say they have been fielding a ton of calls lately, as the moose have become fairly popular on social-media.
The pair of moose were first spotted in Police Point Park and were last spotted in the Saamis Heights area of Medicine Hat.
“There’s been two moose; a cow and a calf,” explained Acting District Fish and Wildlife Officer, Jeff Gilham. “It’s been the only pair we’ve been following in the City for over two years. In 2016, we had a bull-moose come into town, but it was only for a couple days and then it carried on.”
Because Medicine Hat was built on a wildlife corridor, Gilham says this activity comes to no surprise.
“It’s natural to see moose in the City just like coyotes and deer. These moose tend to find a pretty good habitat here, so basically they’ve made Medicine Hat their home.”
And after living here for almost three-years, the moose haven’t presented any serious issues to the City of Medicine Hat.
“They haven’t displayed any erratic or aggressive behaviors that we’re aware of. They seem to be pretty good moose and that’s why we haven’t done anything with them because they haven’t presented any safety or public risk. We kind of just let them be and let nature take its course.”
Gilham then explained that even though the animals are acting calm now, they may not always be peaceful.
“Some things to look out for would be moose with their ears back, hair up and they might even charge at you. If you notice this sort of behavior, give Fish and Wildlife a call (403-529-3680). If we do see different behavior changes, we want to know about it as soon as possible.”
If you happen to run into an aggressive moose, Nature Centre Park Interpreter Marty Drut says there are a few things you can do.
“The first thing is to remain calm. You probably don’t want to do anything to antagonize the animal and then try to make your way out of the area as carefully as possible. If the moose is being threatening towards you, don’t run, it’ll chase after you. Just back out of the area and be on your way. You want to respect any large animal you come in contact with.”
In addition to those measures, Drut added that residents should keep a watchful eye on their pets and children. He also recommends that people walking around shouldn’t have earbuds in and should always be aware of their surroundings.
And just like Fish and Wildlife, Drut says the Nature Centre would love to hear about the moose updates.
“It’s always good to have people let us know what’s going on with the moose. If they want to let us know on Facebook or by giving the Nature Centre a call (403-529-6225), we’d really appreciate it.”
