The Colorado Parks and Wildlife division announced Wednesday that tips from the public have helped it make headway in recent efforts to prevent harassment of wildlife.
On Friday, a photo of a man standing next to an agitated moose in Frisco caught the attention of CPW after it was published on social media. Wildlife officers received tips that helped them identify the man, Mike Porras, public information officer CPW’s northwest office, said on Wednesday.
A witness said he and a passenger observed the man chase the moose Friday afternoon onto the median in the 900 block of 10 Mile Drive in Frisco. They snapped a photo as they drove past, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said Sunday in a news release.
The man faces a citation for harassing wildlife. The Frisco Police Department reported that it detained him on Friday evening after receiving calls about “his erratic behavior.”
“We know who he is and have attempted to contact him about the moose incident,” said District Wildlife Manager Elissa Slezak. “We’ll evaluate the situation and make a determination about how to proceed when we meet with him.”
It is illegal and dangerous to harass wildlife.
“It is very evident from the photo that the moose is angry, and the man could easily have been attacked and injured, or possibly killed,” said District Wildlife Manager Elissa Slezak. “You can clearly see that the moose’s ears are pinned back and its hackles are raised. We hope a conversation with this individual can help him understand the danger involved.”
In a separate incident on Friday, a woman from Summit County posted video of herself feeding a moose through a window of her vehicle. CPW officers on Monday cited her for illegally feeding wildlife and gave her a warning for harassing wildlife.
Over the weekend, CPW learned of a video showing two young men approaching and trying to touch a moose in Frisco’s Drake Landing neighborhood about three weeks ago. The moose kicked at one of the men.
“That video is disturbing because the moose appears to actually strike the individual,” said Slezak. “That could have easily led to a severely injured young man, and we would have had to put that moose down.”
Slezak said she hopes the public can help identify the individual. Anyone with information can remain anonymous by calling Operation Game Thief at 877-265-6648. Rewards may be available.
Moose do not attack people unprovoked; however, they will defend themselves very aggressively if threatened or harassed, Porras said. Because moose do not fear people, they will stand their ground, giving the impression they will tolerate a human’s presence.
“They can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, can run much faster than humans and possess a strong instinct for self-preservation,” said Slezak.
