Alaska State Troopers said they shot and killed an aggressive moose that injured a teenage girl Wednesday morning near Palmer.
The teen’s mother called 911 just before 7 a.m. to report her daughter was trampled by the moose on Plumley Road in Butte as the girl prepared to go to school, according to Sgt. Bret Ledford of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers. She was brought to the hospital by family, Ledford said.
The girl was later released from the hospital with minor injuries, troopers said.
When wildlife troopers arrived at the area of the family’s home, the young bull began acting aggressively and it was shot and killed, Ledford said. A charity responded to salvage the meat, according to troopers.
Several aggressive moose, including the one involved in the attack, had been reported in the area recently, Ledford said.
Troopers are receiving reports of aggressive moose encounters statewide due to deep snow and a lack of easily accessible food that’s putting stress on the animals and making them less tolerant of people, he said.
A man walking his dog on the Kenai Peninsula was injured in late December when a moose charged him in a popular Soldotna trail system.
Anchorage has received more than 9 feet of snow so far this winter. The high snow pushes moose onto sidewalks, streets or driveways where it’s easier to walk, but those locations also lead to more interactions with people, Ledford said.
He recommended giving moose a wide berth.
Ledford warned that people should never feed wild animals, even during years like this when they are starving because of limited resources. Wild animals that become too comfortable around people often have to be shot because they can become dangerous, he said.