Anne Maclean, who works at CMC in Aspen, received an early-morning visit from a couple of large and gangly prospective students on Sept. 28. Two moose showed up southeast of campus at 7:30 a.m., wandered away into the North Forty neighborhood, then came back again and loitered around CMC until about 10:30 a.m. When it was time to leave, it was VIP all the way: a Pitkin County Sheriff’s deputy stopped traffic for them so they could cross Highway 82.
According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 20 years ago in Colorado, a moose sighting was an extremely rare occurrence. Today, Colorado’s moose population is thriving. Now, thanks to a transplanting program, nearly 1,000 moose now call Colorado home.
If you see a moose, Parks and Wildlife recommends that you keep a safe distance, move slowly, and back off if the moose has its ears back, rolls its eyes or appears aggressive. Carry wildlife pepper spray to use if a moose becomes aggressive. Keeping dogs on leash can help prevent a moose attack. Nearly all injuries or deaths involving moose and dogs occur when a dog is off leash. Moose can run 35 mph and can stomp a dog to death.
The moose visiting CMC in Aspen couldn’t have been bothered with that sort of behavior. They enjoyed snooping around the college grounds, then strode away.