Animal attack - please be careful when hiking!!

[cat_man]

Posted Thursday, September 8, 2005
Moose attacks and injures hiker
SALT LAKE CITY — A hiker was attacked and injured by a bull moose while hiking with two dogs in Mill Creek Canyon east of Salt Lake City recently.
The incident is a reminder of how important it is to keep dogs on a leash while hiking.
Jodi Laurance was hiking the Mount Aire trail, with two dogs off leash, when they rounded a bend in the trail and encountered a bull moose.
The dogs began barking and rushed the moose's legs. Fearing the moose would kill or injure the dogs, Laurance tried to scare it away. The moose reared up and kicked at Laurance, striking her in the right leg and causing a large laceration. Laurance fell to the ground and the moose jumped over her.
Wanting to protect her dogs, Laurance jumped up and the moose lunged at her again. She dove to the ground and the moose missed her. She then hid in some nearby brush. Despite hearing the moose nearby, she remained in the brush and stayed quiet. The dogs eventually rushed the moose, and this time it ran down the trail.
Laurance recovered her dogs and made her way down the trail, where she found a registered nurse who was out on a hike. The nurse treated her wound and then helped her to the emergency room at the University of Utah Hospital, where she was treated and released.
Tips to avoid moose attacks
"Although moose may appear to be slow and unalarmed, hikers and photographers need to keep a very safe distance from these large animals," says Scott Root, a regional conservation outreach manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
"Moose tend to be territorial and can charge quickly when approached too closely," he says. "Cows with young calves are especially territorial."
Root says all moose will charge if approached too closely. He encourages hikers to keep their dogs on a leash, so they can control their dog if they encounter a moose. He also urges hikers to hike cautiously. "Most encounters involve people rounding a corner on a hiking trail and coming face to face with a moose," he says.
"When this happens, keep an eye on the moose and back away from it. Also, start looking for any structure that you can get between you and the moose."
Root says getting something between you and the moose not only helps protect you, but it shields you from the moose's sight. This lessens the threat the moose perceives you to be.
"If you're in a popular hiking area and encounter an aggressive moose, notify other hikers using the trail, the local authorities of the agency that manages the trail and the Division of Wildlife Resources."
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